Printed from https://fiscalreceipts.com/program/0158/ — built September 26, 2026. Every figure is citation-backed; see the page online for per-number provenance.
CH-53K (Heavy Lift)
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Budget figures
FY2026 award data is a partial year — USAspending reports awards on a rolling basis, and this corpus runs through 2026-09-04. why partial FY2026 data? →
Budget trajectory
| Fiscal year | Amount |
|---|---|
| FY24 | $2.14B |
| FY25 | $2.62B |
| FY26 | $2.04B |
All series figures: P-1 TOA · PB2026
Decade view
P-1/R-1 workbook TOA basis, shown compact in $B/$M (the workbook records USD thousands); each figure cites its own President's Budget edition
The vertical scale does not start at zero: the baseline sits just below this program’s smallest year, so a low point on this line is not a small amount. Read the shape for direction and the grid below for the figures.
● actuals (line) · ○ enacted · ◇ request — gaps are editions the program is absent from, never interpolated.
| Series | FY22 | FY23 | FY24 | FY25 | FY26 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Actuals | $1.67B | $2.22B | $2.14B | ||
| Enacted | – | $2.22B | $2.15B | $2.62B | |
| Request | – | – | $2.15B | $2.49B | $2.04B |
blank = series not published for this year; – = absent from that edition.
Asked vs spent: the PB2024 book requested $2.15B for FY2024; the PB2026 book reported $2.14B as actual total obligation authority — $12.0M below the request. 2,142.6 − 2,154.6 = -12.0 USD millions — the compact figures above are rounded for reading.
Program lineage
No predecessor/successor lineage was recorded for this program element — no FY-to-FY transfer into or out of this line was stated in the ingested J-books, and none was inferred from the program structure.
Description
Description — CH-53K (Heavy Lift)
The CH-53K is a next generation fly by wire heavy-lift helicopter that provides significant improvements in range, payload, performance, cargo handling, turn-around times, reliability, maintainability, interoperability and survivability. It is the only marinized heavy-lift helicopter in the world and the Department of Defense's only heavy-lift helicopter. The CH-53K mission is to support the Marine Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF) Commander by providing assault support transport of heavy equipment, combat troops, and supplies, day or night under all weather conditions during expeditionary, joint, or combined operations. The CH-53K provides a greater payload at greater ranges than any current or emerging rotorcraft to support the rapid transition of Joint and Coalition forces from contact to blunt layer activities in a contested environment. The system addresses current connector shortfalls making it a critical enabler in the execution of distributed operations; a key component of the Marine Corps' Expeditionary Advanced Base Operations concept which supports the President's National Security Strategy, the Tri-Service Maritime Strategy and the Navy's Distributed Maritime Operational concept. The CH-53K is capable of integrating into the current battlefield and taking advantage of future technologies, such as manned/unmanned teaming and MAGTF digital interoperability. The modern fly by wire system provides greater safety, survivability, and reliability compared to other joint rotorcraft. When compared to the legacy aircraft, the CH-53K improves reliability and decreases operations and support costs by reducing maintenance man hours per flight hour while maximizing work effectiveness and efficiency. Total aircraft quantities for the CH-53K program are 200 helicopters. Of the 200 aircraft, four are System Demonstration Test Articles (SDTAs) and were incrementally funded using RDT&E funds and 196 aircraft are funded with Aircraft Procurement, Navy (APN). The CH-53K System Development and Demonstration program received a successful Milestone C decision on 4 April 2017. The CH-53K Production program received approval on 22 December 2022 to proceed to Full Rate Production.
Justification
Justification — CH-53K (Heavy Lift)
The FY 2026 APN request funds the procurement of Full Rate Production (FRP) Lot 10 (twelve aircraft), Airframe Economic Order Quantity (EOQ) requirements, and advance procurement in support of Lot 11 long-lead materials. The Lots 9-13 (FY 2025-2029) Airframe and Engines cost elements are planned and budgeted as Multi-Year Procurement (MYP) contracts. Current unit cost estimates are based on negotiations to date and necessitate a reduction in procurement quantities from what is depicted on the P-40 exhibit. The 2026 budget request includes the appropriate level of funding for seventeen aircraft in FY 2025 and twelve aircraft in FY 2026. The revised procurement profile continues to support the Headquarters Marine Corps (HQMC) CH-53E to CH-53K transition plan and final MYP contract pricing will be provided in subsequent budget updates. Cost reduction opportunities will continue to be explored as the program progresses through Full Rate Production. As a result of a reduction in FY 2026 aircraft quantities from eighteen at PB25 to twelve at PB26 (reduction of six aircraft), FY 2025 AP has been repurposed to EOQ in order to support the Lots 9-13 MYP. NRE requirements address critical obsolescence issues, avionics software update and integration activities, and supplier production rate tooling required to support the HQMC transition plan. Airframe, Engine, and Avionics Peculiar Ground Support Equipment (PGSE) requirements are derived by three factors: scheduled stand-up of CONUS Main Operating Base; Initial Operating Capability (IOC) of sea-based deployment of four plane detachment; and establishment of Depot repair capability for the entire weapons system. A phased approach is being utilized to procure the required PGSE to support IOC plus four years as required by 10 US Code 2464/Navy Support Date (NSD). The cost in each year is based on the specific equipment being purchased for that year's capability establishment, such as main rotor head assembly, main gearbox assembly, tail gearbox assembly, intermediate gearbox, nose gearbox assembly, tail bumper retract actuator, DIRCM cooling fan assembly, engine exhaust assembly, and engine duct assembly, not cost growth. Peculiar Training Equipment procurements are necessary to equip the Fleet Replacement Squadron (FRS) and continue the establishment of training capacity for the CH-53E to CH-53K transition. Publications / Tech Data requirements are aligned with the procurement of Product Support Packages, including drawings, procedures, and technical manuals, capturing production aircraft configuration to support Intermediate (I) and Depot (D) level repair capabilities to meet IOC and 10 US Code 2464/NSD requirements. Other ILS requirements support the program transition plan from interim to organic support and Depot Capability establishment, which includes Component Pilot Repair events at Depot and I-Level facilities, validation and verification of procedures, and publishing of final products up to declaration of capability being established for a particular component within the scope of the contract being funded. Production Engineering Support requirements are for Government and Contractor Support Services (CSS) annualized support of the production program. Initial Spares continue to build range and depth of T408 Engine spares and spare parts, along with Peculiar Support Equipment (PSE), commensurate with the growing CH-53K inventory and required sparing level to support increased production as the program executes Full Rate Production. FY 2026 spares procurements will enable the program to remain on track to fully support deployed flight operations in the Fleet. The FY 2026 request was reduced by $0.918 million for Advisory and Assistance Services to promote efficiencies and advance the policies of the Administration in alignment with Executive Order 14222, "Implementing the President's Department of Government Efficiency Cost Efficiency Initiative." The FY 2026 request was reduced by $3.429 million for civilian personnel to optimize the workforce in compliance with Executive Order 14210, "Implementing the President's Department of Government Efficiency Workforce Optimization Initiative."
Budget line items(workbook-cited)
P-1/R-1 workbook Total Obligation Authority basis (USD thousands) · PB2026.
Exhibit P-1
| Account | Org | Type | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aircraft Procurement, Navy | N | FY24 Actuals | $2.14B |
| Aircraft Procurement, Navy | N | FY25 Enacted | $2.62B |
| Aircraft Procurement, Navy | N | FY26 Disc. Request | $2.04B |
| Aircraft Procurement, Navy | N | FY26 Total | $2.04B |
Budget Details(R-2/P-40 facts)
J-book detail basis (R-2/P-40, USD millions) · PB2026 — a different accounting basis from the P-1/R-1 workbook TOA above; where the two disagree, the reconciliation strip under Budget figures shows both.
Wider than this screen — swipe the table sideways for the remaining fiscal-year columns.
| Project | All Prior Years | FY24 Actuals | FY25 Total | FY26 Base | FY26 Request |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Program Element | $8.67B | $2.14B | $2.62B | $2.04B | $2.04B |
Follow the dollar
Appropriation → program element → top high-confidence awards → recipient families → congressional districts.
Follow-the-dollar covers 312 of 1,938 programs — only high-confidence budget→award links are shown. why coverage is partial? →
The diagram illustrates the cited table below — amounts shown in the diagram are transaction sums per award (no citation chips); the per-district obligations in the table cite USAspending queries.
Related awards
Award linkage is shown for 32 of 200 profiled companies — high- and medium-confidence USAspending matches, each row labeled; medium is the weaker evidence. why partial award coverage? →
Rows marked medium rest on evidence weaker than a program-level match, and of more than one kind. An account-based row, where the award drew from the same appropriation account as this program, is an association, not evidence that this program paid for the contract. Where the evidence is instead an FPDS acquisition-program tag or a subaward description, the program is established but which of its budget lines paid is not. An announcement link a recorded review did not leave standing is medium too. Only high rows rest on the contract naming this program with a recorded review upholding it and no recorded rejection or refutation applying.
Showing 25 of 59 award records (this program's published budget→award crosswalk links — see methodology)
| Recipient | PIID | Confidence |
|---|---|---|
| GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY | N0001923C0013 | high |
| GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY | N0001924C0019 | high |
| LOCKHEED MARTIN CORPORATION | N0001921F0434 | high |
| LOCKHEED MARTIN CORPORATION | N0001921F0718 | high |
| LOCKHEED MARTIN CORPORATION | N0001922F1147 | high |
| LOCKHEED MARTIN CORPORATION | N0001922F1186 | high |
| LOCKHEED MARTIN CORPORATION | N0001922F1198 | high |
| LOCKHEED MARTIN CORPORATION | N0001922F2122 | high |
| LOCKHEED MARTIN CORPORATION | N0001922F2230 | high |
| LOCKHEED MARTIN CORPORATION | N0001922F2439 | high |
| LOCKHEED MARTIN CORPORATION | N0001924F0663 | high |
| LOCKHEED MARTIN CORPORATION | N0001925F0193 | high |
| LOCKHEED MARTIN CORPORATION | N6134021F7002 | high |
| LOCKHEED MARTIN CORPORATION | N6134022F7009 | high |
| RAYTHEON COMPANY | N0001921F0810 | high |
| RENK SYSTEMS CORP | N6833524C0088 | high |
| ROBERTSON FUEL SYSTEMS, L.L.C. | N0001924C0017 | high |
| SIKORSKY AIRCRAFT CORPORATION | N0001916C0048 | high |
| SIKORSKY AIRCRAFT CORPORATION | N0001920C0047 | high |
| SIKORSKY AIRCRAFT CORPORATION | N0001922C0004 | high |
| ADVANCIA TECHNOLOGIES, LLC | N6833521P0014 | medium |
| AVION MANUFACTURING, INC. | SPRPA120P002Y | medium |
| AVIOSS LLC | N6833519P0500 | medium |
| AVIOSS LLC | N6833520P0024 | medium |
| AVIOSS LLC | N6833520P0038 | medium |
Contractor concentration
High-confidence award links only, pooled across ingested years. The index uses positive obligations; program obligations are net of deobligations. The figures over every published link, including medium-confidence ones, are in the downloadable warehouse, not on this page — why.
Lobbying mentions
No Senate LDA lobbying filing in the tracked data mentions this program element by code or alias.
Oversight
Department-level designation (not specific to this program)
GAO lists 5 high-risk areas for DOD as a whole. That designation covers the department, not CH-53K (Heavy Lift). No program-specific GAO finding for this line is in the ingested data. See the DOD oversight record.
Program dossier
Every sentence below carries its citation — warehouse figures open the citation panel, news claims link the cached source.
Research dossiers exist for 50 of 1,938 programs — the 50 largest fully J-book-detailed programs by FY2026 request. why no dossier here? →
What it is
- The CH-53K (Heavy Lift) is a Navy program covered under the Aircraft Procurement, Navy account. It is a next-generation fly-by-wire heavy-lift helicopter that offers improvements in range, payload, performance, cargo handling, reliability, maintainability, interoperability, and survivability. It is described as the only marinized (sea-capable) heavy-lift helicopter in the world and the Department of Defense's only heavy-lift helicopter.
- The CH-53K's mission is to support the Marine Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF) Commander by transporting heavy equipment, combat troops, and supplies day or night in all weather conditions during expeditionary, joint, or combined operations.
- The total planned buy for the program is 200 helicopters. Of these, four are System Demonstration Test Articles funded with research-and-development (RDT&E) money, and 196 are funded through Aircraft Procurement, Navy (APN) funds.
- The program received a successful Milestone C decision on 4 April 2017, and the production program received approval on 22 December 2022 to proceed to Full Rate Production.
- The fiscal year 2026 request funds Full Rate Production Lot 10 (twelve aircraft), Airframe Economic Order Quantity (EOQ) requirements, and advance procurement of long-lead materials for Lot 11.
Why it matters
- The CH-53K is described as a critical enabler for distributed operations and a key component of the Marine Corps' Expeditionary Advanced Base Operations concept, providing a greater payload at greater ranges than any current or emerging rotorcraft.
- Compared to the legacy aircraft, the CH-53K is said to improve reliability and decrease operations and support costs by reducing maintenance man-hours per flight hour.
- For fiscal year 2024, the program recorded actual spending of about $2.14 billion (roughly $2,142,617 thousand) in Aircraft Procurement, Navy funds.
- For fiscal year 2025, the program was enacted at about $2.62 billion (roughly $2,616,629 thousand).
- The fiscal year 2026 request is about $2.04 billion (roughly $2,042,953 thousand), a decrease from the 2025 enacted level.
- The budget documents show the program's trajectory falling from $2,142,617 thousand in FY2024 actuals to $2,042,953 thousand in the FY2026 request.
- The FY2026 total request is confirmed at $2,042,953 thousand.
- The plan reduced FY2026 aircraft quantities from eighteen (under the prior PB25 plan) to twelve (under PB26), a reduction of six aircraft, and FY2025 advance procurement was repurposed to EOQ to support the Lots 9-13 Multi-Year Procurement.
- The FY2026 request was reduced by $0.918 million for Advisory and Assistance Services in alignment with Executive Order 14222 on government efficiency, and reduced by $3.429 million for civilian personnel in compliance with Executive Order 14210 on workforce optimization.
- Cumulative all-prior-years funding for the program is reported at about $8,672.145 million.
Key players
- The program is managed by the Navy (organization code N) under the Aircraft Procurement, Navy account.
Primary sources
Open any budget figure for its exact receipt. Verified line items lead with the highlighted government PDF; original spreadsheets download with their budget edition and exhibit in the filename.
Budget totals · TOA sources
FY2026 Department of Defense Budget: Procurement Programs (P-1) · comptroller.war.gov
Exhibit P-1 · O322,O323,O324
Complete workbook · unchanged saved copy. Saves as PB2026_DoD_P-1_Procurement.xlsx.
FY2024 Department of Defense Budget: Procurement Programs (P-1) · comptroller.war.gov
Exhibit P-1 · O320,O321,O322
Complete workbook · unchanged saved copy. Saves as PB2024_DoD_P-1_Procurement.xlsx.
FY2025 Department of Defense Budget: Procurement Programs (P-1) · comptroller.war.gov
Exhibit P-1 · O322,O323,O327
Complete workbook · unchanged saved copy. Saves as PB2025_DoD_P-1_Procurement.xlsx.
Detailed budget justification
The related TOA spreadsheets above use a different accounting basis from R-2/P-40 detail. Their amounts are not assumed to match these detailed sources.