Wait a minute.
The Germans are looking to purchase a helicopter !!
If it isn't German, it is not engineering; that is the principle.
What went wrong ??
The German military has been using the CH-53 since ... forever! Licence-built in Germany of course.
In 1966 the German military evaluated both the CH-53 and CH-47 Chinook as a replacement for the H-21 and H-34G helicopters with an initial requirement for 133. The purchase of the CH-53 was approved in June 1968 but due to budget constraints only 110 were ordered. Following the delivery in 1969 of two pre-production helicopters from Sikorsky the production aircraft were
licence built by VFW-Fokker at Speyer in Germany. The first German-built helicopter flew from Speyer on 11 October 1971 and was delivered to the Erprobungsstelle der Bundeswehr 61 flight test centre at Manching on 1 December 1971.
CH-53G
German base version of the CH-53D for German Army Aviation Corps. The internal Sikorsky designation was S-65C-1. A total of 112 were produced including 2 pre-production and 20 assembled by VFW-Fokker and 90 built by Speyer. As of 2007, 89 German CH-53s were in service, with 80 planned to be in service in 2014. All German CH-53s are going to receive T64-100 engines (in 3 batches; first batch has already been installed, second batch is currently being installed and 3rd batch is planned with funding made available). All will receive IFR-capability.
CH-53GS
Update of 20 CH-53Gs in the late 1990s, with additional missile counter measure, upgraded communication and navigation system and two external fuel tanks added. They later received the first batch of T64-100 engines to operate in hot and high conditions that prevail in Afghanistan. MG3 and M3M machine guns were also fitted. A CH-53GS/GE update has also been ordered to provide combat search-and-rescue (CSAR) capability to 26 helicopters.
CH-53GE
A configuration based on CH-53GS combat search-and-rescue (CSAR) capabilities. The upgrade configuration was formerly known as CH-53GSX. It further updates with modern electronics, two external fuel tanks, counter measures and dust filters for the engines. Upgrade was ordered to support Afghanistan deployment.
CH-53GA
Update of further 40 CH-53Gs with new flight deck, new flight control system, autopilot, navigation and communication systems, FLIR, ECM and missile counter measures as well as provisions for additional internal fuel tanks. The CH-53GA helicopter successfully completed its first flight in February 2010. The upgrade is to be completed in 2013
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sikorsky_CH-53_Sea_Stallion#Germany
