General Electric Aerospace picked up a $46.5-million modification to an earlier Pentagon contract for turboshaft engines to power heavy-lift helicopters for the U.S. Marine Corps.
In October 2025, the Pentagon issued a $10.85-billion contract to Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. for as many as 99 heavy-lift helicopters for the U.S. Marine Corps, along with relevant aircraft and program support. The 10-year deal covers five production series (Lot 9 through 13) of the CH-53K “King Stallion”, the current model of Sikorsky’s long-running helicopter series. It is the largest and heaviest helicopter in use by the U.S. military.
Later, GE Aerospace was selected to provide a total of 277 turboshaft engines for those aircraft, with a $1.42-billion contract stretching through September 2032.
Each CH-53-K is powered by three T408 engines, each one with a power rating for 7,500 shp (5,600 kW), which reportedly is 57% more powerful and 18% more fuel-efficient than the preceding GE Aerospace T64 engine. “The T408 also has 63 percent fewer parts and advanced designs, such as a more rugged compressor with erosion coating and split casing, that improves both reliability and maintainability,” according to GE Aerospace.
The new contract modification adds detail to the order for nine GE T408-GE-400 turboshaft engines, for Lot 10 of the helicopters for the USMC.
The Pentagon reported the contract will be carried out by GE at its Lynn, Mass., manufacturing center.
