On Thursday, August 14, 2025, the Israeli Ministry of Defense announced progress in the U.S. production of twelve Lockheed Martin CH-53K King Stallion heavy transport helicopters, which will receive the local designation Pereh. The first aircraft has entered the final assembly phase at the Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation plant in Stratford, Connecticut, after its fuselage was delivered from the Spirit AeroSystems facility.
Photo: Spirit Aerosystems via the Israeli Ministry of Defense
Israel began searching for a supplier of new heavy transport helicopters in July 2018. They were intended to replace 22 Sikorsky S-65C-3 Yas’ur-2000/2025 helicopters (derived from the CH-53 Sea Stallion, delivered to Israel in 1969 but modernized in the early 2000s; currently, 21 remain, as Hamas shot one down on October 7, 2023 – editor’s note). On February 25, 2021, a decision was made to select the newly developed CH-53K King Stallion, built for the U.S. Marine Corps (USMC), rejecting Boeing’s counteroffer with the CH-47F Chinook.
On February 15, 2022, a contract was signed for the production of the first four aircraft (including the one currently discussed – editor’s note) worth 372,040,552 USD, while the remaining eight were included in a broader contract dated August 24, 2023, for full-rate production of the helicopters (Lots 7 and 8), primarily 27 units for the USMC, valued at 2,774,583,756 USD. Although 12 units have been ordered, the authorities in Tel Aviv retain the option to procure an additional six under the same contractual terms (included in the sales approval granted on July 30, 2021).
Initially, delivery to Israel was scheduled to begin in November 2025; however, according to the latest update from the Ministry of Defense, it will now not take place until 2028. The helicopters will be delivered to the 114th Night Carriers Squadron of the Israeli Air Force (Chejl ha-Awir), stationed at Tel Nof Airbase in the Central District.
לוקהיד מרטין-סיקורסקי החלה בתהליך ההרכבה של מסוקי CH-53K “פרא״ שנרכשו על ידי משרד הביטחון עבור חיל האוויר
להמשך קריאה:https://t.co/f1bOGDxqQu pic.twitter.com/g7AI9P4Vl2
— משרד הביטחון (@MoDIsrael) August 14, 2025