Lockheed Martin "If Korea is selected as a special war helicopter, CH-53K will be produced in Korea."

Lockheed Martin of the U.S., the world's largest defense contractor, and Sikorsky of its subsidiary, said they can assemble and produce the helicopters in South Korea if they are selected as operators of special operations helicopters for the South Korean military.

Officials from Lockheed Martin-Sikorski held a press conference today and said, "We are continuing to evolve our relationship with Korea Aerospace Industries and KAI, and we are talking about assembling them all in Korea."

Special operation helicopters are helicopters that can penetrate at night or in bad weather for special operations in case of emergency, and the Defense Acquisition Program Administration is spending 3.7 trillion won to secure more than 10 large-sized helicopters for special operations by 2031.

Earlier, Lockheed Martin-Sikorski signed a strategic partnership with KAI in October last year to participate in the Korean special-purpose helicopter business of its helicopter CH-53K, called "King Stallion."

Frank Chrissapuli, director of overseas business at Sikorsky, said he would go beyond just final assembly to co-develop and export parts, stressing that CH-53K can support all military missions, including special operations, troop deployment and withdrawal, search and rescue, and aerial attacks.