Sikorsky

[Guest Jeremy Law]

Unlike Bell and Eurocopter, Sikorsky didn't have any big smoke-and-light shows at this year's Heli-Expo, but the company is doing well. According to president Jeff Pino, the company has seen 16 percent compound annual growth for five years and "has obviously made the biggest advancement" of any OEM in the industry over the same time period. Pino had good things to say about the other OEMs' expanded presence at the show, though: "We need to keep the industry strong as well as keeping Sikorsky strong," he said at his press conference.

 

Pino gave updates on the S-76D (on track for certification later this year, he said) and the S-434 (certification scheduled for December of this year). Military business continues to be an extremely important part of Sikorsky's business, and "we haven't had a dime cut yet in our [military] programs," he said. After a successful critical design review in 2010, the CH-53K program is said to be on track (look for much more about this in future issues of Vertical 911).

 

Pino clearly has a soft spot for the X2, which he said achieved 250 knots with just $50 million in development costs and 17 flights. Sikorsky will be pushing the S-97 Raider version of it aggressively; Pino said the aircraft can offer "eye-watering" advantages in the tactical environment. Sikorsky will continue to fund the project interally, Pino said.

 

The X2 was on display at Heli-Expo. Here's one of the more unusual shots that was in the Sikorsky press kit:

 

 

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