Sterling Engineering, a subsidiary of Air Industries Group, has been awarded a new long-term agreement to deliver chaff pods for the CH-53K heavy lift helicopter. Based on existing orders for the aircraft the LTA should have a minimum value in excess of $5.2 million.

The CH-53K is a sea-based, long range, heavy-lift helicopter providing three times the lift capability of its predecessor and exceeding all other DOD rotary wing-platforms. The primary mission of the aircraft is to support the US Marine Corps in transporting personnel and equipment from naval ships to land in the Indo-Pacific.

Production of the helicopter is forecast to more than double from four in 2022 to nine in 2023, and then increase to fifteen aircraft in 2026. It is expected that the CH-53K will remain in production through 2032.

Air Industries has been and remains a supplier for earlier versions of the CH-53 and has a current backlog of more than $7 million on this platform. This is Air Industries' first award for this latest version of the aircraft, and increases the backlog for all versions of the CH-53 by more than 70%, to approximately $12.5 million.

Lou Melluzzo, CEO of Air Industries says: “This LTA award is important for a number of reasons. Air Industries has long been a supplier for Black Hawk helicopters. This award for the new CH-53K helicopter brings our backlog to near parity between these two products. In the past, our Long Island subsidiaries performed almost all of our rotorcraft work.“