Engineers from the H-53 Heavy Lift Helicopter Program Office worked closely with Sikorsky to redesign the wheel brake system for the US Marine Corps CH-53Ks entering service.
The US Department of Defense provided $21.6m to the contractor on 24 July 2025 to cover the cost of the installation of the new wheel brake system among other non-recurring engineering activities for the gearbox and fuselage fatigue tests.
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“The current wheel brake system is functional, and the aircraft is fully capable,” assured Marine Corps spokesperson, Captain Jacob M. Sugg. However, the redesigned system is intended to improve the user interface, “making it easier for pilots to employ from the cockpit.”
With 253 helicopters in the pipeline, the Marine Corps reached initial operating capability at the beginning of 2025. All of the initial units include the current wheel brake system.
Plans to install the redesign
“The new braking system will be cut into the Sikorsky production line, and the entire fleet will be retrofitted,” Sugg confirmed.
The incorporation of the new wheel brake system will follow successful flight testing of the system.
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By GlobalData“Improvements to the wheel brake system will have no impact on the timeline for full operational capability of the CH-53K” expected in 2029.
CH-53K enters Marine Corps
As the original equipment manufacturer, Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin subsidiary, designed CH-53K, also known as the King Stallion, to specific Marine Corps standards. In May, a programme manager provided an update on the phased procurement of the helicopter into the service, replacing the legacy E variant. Five squadrons have made the change, which will continue well into the 2030s.
The King Stallion can lift payloads weighing up to 36,000 pounds, or three times the capacity of the E variant. Moreover, the design is simpler with 63% fewer parts than its predecessor.
Sikorsky maintain that the helicopter fills European needs even though no international user, other than Israel, has committed to acquiring the platform. Lockheed Martin director Frank Crisafulli contended that the heavy-lift helicopter “is well suited for the Special Operations missions, the long range missions, firefighting, and a lot of other things [such as] humanitarian relief.”
