SHANGHAI, April 15, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Sikorsky Aircraft
Corp. announced today that the Civil Aviation Administration of
China (CAAC) has issued a
validation type certificate for the S-76D™ aircraft, allowing
Sikorsky to begin delivering the commercial helicopter to
customers in China. The
announcement was made at the 2014 Asian Business Aviation
Conference & Exhibition. Sikorsky is a subsidiary of United
Technologies Corp. (NYSE: UTX).
The S-76D is the latest S-76® model to be validated by CAAC
having been preceded by the S-76A™ and S-76C™ helicopters
More than 30 Sikorsky S-76 aircraft currently operate
in China.
Yunnan Jingcheng Group will be the first company in China to take delivery of an S-76D helicopter.
The company contracted for a new S-76D in 2012 and is scheduled to
receive the aircraft this month. Jingcheng already flies an S-92®
helicopter for use in transporting corporate and government VIPs.
In September 2013, a second S-92
aircraft was purchased with delivery expected in November 2015.
"We are thrilled to have the S-76D certified by the CAAC. This
certification helps expand our presence in a strategically
important region with many potential S-76D customers," said
Ryan McFeaters, General Manager,
Sikorsky Aircraft – China. "We are
also glad to continue working with Jingcheng, an important Sikorsky
customer, and look forward to hearing of their successes with this
aircraft."
The S-76D helicopter has quickly proven popular with customers,
with a current backlog exceeding $650
million. Sikorsky has delivered more than 800 S-76
helicopters to customers globally since 1979, contributing daily to
a growing 6.4-million-plus fleet flight hours total.
The S-76D helicopter's baseline equipment includes powerful and
efficient Pratt & Whitney Canada
PW210S engines; an advanced THALES TopDeck ® integrated avionics
system and four-axis autopilot; Health and Usage Monitoring System
(HUMS) incorporated into fleet monitoring and analysis; active
vibration control; and all-composite, flaw-tolerant main rotor
blades. A Rotor Ice Protection System (RIPS) for all-weather
capability will be available as an option.
In September 2013, Sikorsky
Aircraft and Changhe Aircraft Industries Corp. signed an agreement
for Changhe to produce S-76D™ commercial helicopter cabins for
Sikorsky. Changhe serves as a second source for S-76D cabins,
with deliveries scheduled to begin in 2016 and production volume
based on market demand. Aero Vodochody in the Czech Republic also supplies the cabins.
Sikorsky Aircraft Corp., based in Stratford, Conn., is a world leader in
helicopter design, manufacture and service. United Technologies
Corp., based in Hartford, Conn.,
provides a broad range of high technology products and support
services to the aerospace and building systems industries
worldwide.
Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140414/72984
Logo -
http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20060403/SIKORSKYLOGO
SOURCE Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation