The CH-53K supply chain: supplier concentration and contract economics
Published August 19, 2026 / CH-53K King Stallion
On September 26, 2025, Sikorsky received a five-year, $10.9 billion Navy contract covering up to 99 CH-53K King Stallion helicopters. The contract combines Lots 9–13, with deliveries expected between 2029 and 2034.
Sikorsky says the contract will support 267 US suppliers across 37 states and a further 17 suppliers across eight countries.
A concentrated tier-one supply chain
Mimir’s FY2021–FY2025 data identifies 257 tier-one supplier CAGEs associated with the CH-53K program and approximately $2.6 billion in net reported subcontract value. Almost half of this value passed through the ten largest suppliers, while the 25 largest accounted for approximately 70%.
Some of the key suppliers
CH-53K subcontract activity mapped over FY2021–FY2025
| Supplier | CH-53K reported subcontract value | CH-53K share of observed defense subcontract value | Content |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spirit AeroSystems, Wichita | ~$324M | ~67% | Composite cockpit and cabin structure |
| Albany Aerostructures Composites, Salt Lake City | ~$229M | ~41% | Sponsons, tail-rotor pylon and aft-transition assembly |
| Héroux-Devtek, Longueuil | ~$121M | ~32% | Landing-gear system and tail bumpers |
| Triumph Actuation Systems, Redmond | ~$108M | ~68% | Blade-fold actuation and blade-dampening systems |
Program growth and supplier economics
Albany’s Salt Lake City operation shows why increasing program demand does not necessarily produce attractive economics for every supplier.
Approximately $229 million in reported CH-53K subcontract value was mapped to the site over FY2021–FY2025. But in October 2025, Albany recorded a roughly $147 million charge relating to the program, including losses it expected to incur over the remaining contract.
The company cited greater-than-planned labor requirements and higher material costs under a fixed-price agreement. It subsequently began exploring a potential sale of all or part of the Salt Lake City structures-assembly operation.
Albany’s experience shows why backlog and program exposure are only the starting points. As CH-53K production increases, the value of a supplier position will depend not only on how much work it captures, but whether the contract is priced to deliver that work profitably.
U.S. Navy, Lockheed Martin / Sikorsky, Albany International filings, USASpending, FPDS, Mimir Data Platform and Modeling.
Mimir analysis of net reported first-tier defense subcontract value, FY2021–FY2025. The program total and supplier count were recalculated under Reported subcontract value v3. Supplier examples and percentages are rounded point-in-time estimates from the published analysis and may differ from the current platform as source reports are revised. They do not represent total company or facility revenue.