WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Sikorsky, a unit of Lockheed Martin Corp, has been awarded a $1.1 billion contract for 12 CH-53K King Stallion helicopters, including logistics and other support, the Pentagon said on Friday.

The Lockheed Martin unit said it will build the helicopters at its Connecticut plant and that their deliveries will begin in 2022, according to the contract from the U.S. Navy.

The CH-53K, which offers three times the carrying power of its predecessor, made its international debut at the Berlin Air Show in April last year.

It is competing with the twin-rotor CH-47 Chinook helicopter built by Boeing for a German military helicopter tender, which is expected to cost Germany around 4 billion euros ($4.46 billion) in the longer term, a big prize for the winning bidder.

Last month, the U.S. Defense Department awarded Lockheed Martin a $1.15 billion contract for services related to the F-35 Lightning II aircraft.