Overview
- Israel’s Defense Ministry signed a roughly $130 million agreement with Elbit Systems to integrate domestic technologies on 12 CH-53K heavy-lift helicopters purchased via a $2.4 billion FMS deal.
- The integration package includes Israeli command-and-control capabilities, avionics, electronic-warfare suites, and an advanced DIRCM anti-missile system.
- The helicopters are being assembled at Sikorsky’s Connecticut facility and will transfer to a dedicated line to install Israeli systems after production.
- Deliveries to Israel are expected within about two years as the CH-53K replaces the Israeli Air Force’s aging Yas’ur fleet.
- Officials describe the project as a pillar of a multi-year modernization plan that shapes the IDF’s future force and strengthens domestic production and supply resilience.