 On 27 October 2015, the CH-53K took its first flight.On 7 March 2018, one lifted a payload of 36,000 pounds (16,330 kg), the maximum weight on the single center point cargo hook.The first CH-53K was delivered to the USMC on 16 May 2018; at the time, 18 additional helicopters were in production, and the second was planned for delivery in early 2019.