GE Aerospace has secured a $1.4-billion multi-year contract from the US Marine Corps to continue supplying T408 turboshaft engines for the Sikorsky CH-53K King Stallion heavy-lift helicopter. The latest award covers Lots 9 through 13 of the propulsion system and builds on six previous agreements supporting the ongoing King Stallion program.
Under the contract, GE Aerospace will deliver newly produced engine sets, spare engines, and comprehensive maintenance services to sustain the Marine Corps’ expanding CH-53K fleet. Engine assembly will take place at GE’s manufacturing facility in Lynn, Massachusetts, while additional production and support activities will be distributed across New Hampshire, Vermont, Kentucky, Ohio, and Florida, reinforcing the company’s US industrial footprint.
The program also continues GE’s long-standing collaboration with MTU Aero Engines of Germany, which will manufacture the power turbine module for the T408. The engine reached initial operational capability (IOC) with the US Marine Corps in 2022, coinciding with the CH-53K’s entry into operational service just four years after the first aircraft was delivered.
Each King Stallion helicopter is powered by three T408 engines, generating a combined 22,500 horsepower—around 57 percent more power than the legacy T64 engines. This performance boost enables the CH-53K to deliver three times the range and payload capacity of the earlier CH-53E Super Stallion, significantly enhancing troop transport and heavy-equipment lift. The T408’s design also features 63 percent fewer parts, improved fuel efficiency, and rugged construction, delivering 18 percent higher efficiency and reduced maintenance demands.
