The United States Marine Corps wants to deploy a new CH-53KKing Stallion heavy-lift helicopter, but do its “capabilities justify its premium price over, say, the CH-47,” Missouri Republican Senator Josh Hawley has wondered.  Described by Popular Mechanics in 2017 as “phenomenally expensive,” the CH-53K program is becoming more controversial as Marines continue to fight in non-amphibious environments like Afghanistan. The Marines want to buy 200 CH-53Ks for $31 billion, or $138.5 million a copy, a price that already increased from $131.2 million merely in the year 2016-2017.  By comparison, the Marines’ F-35B variant of the Joint Strike Fighter costs $122.8 million each.  Developed since 2006, the CH-53Ks were supposed to begin operational service in 2015, a date now delayed until sometime in 2023–2024. CH-53K King Stallion (Photo credit: US Marine Corps) The CH-53 helicopter series dates to its introduction with the...(Read Full Article)