USMC thinks hard about cutting CH-53K King Stallion numbers
The USMC is weighing up whether or not to reduce CH-53K heavy-helicopter numbers but a decision on that front has not been taken in line with schedule.
The USMC appears to be giving serious consideration to procuring fewer than the 200 CH-53K King Stallion heavy-lift helicopters it committed to as a programme of record.
A decision on whether or not to make cuts was expected to be made by 'program officials' in February 2021, according to a recent Government Accountability Office (GAO) report.
However, this has not yet taken place, a USN spokesperson confirmed to Shephard in a 10 March statement. The spokesperson declined to say when a decision will be taken; nor was an explanation given for why there is a delay.
Despite such reluctance, the GAO said that
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