United Rotorcraft, which outfits the Sikorsky Black Hawk helicopter platform as S-70 Firehawks, is evaluating several options and upgrades to the firefighting and emergency rescue helicopter program. “[We] strive to make continuous improvements to the Firehawk to enhance flight crew safety, reduce pilot workload, increase the effectiveness and efficiencies of water delivery, search and rescue, and resource management,” the Air Methods subsidiary told AIN ahead of this year’s Heli-Expo.
The improvements include a 1,000-gallon composite water tank that the company produces in collaboration with Dart. According to the company, the composite tank offers significant weight savings compared with standard tanks, thus providing mission performance improvement. United Rotorcraft also plans to integrate the Aerometals inlet barrier filter system—a popular aftermarket modification—as a standard feature in the S-70’s baseline firefighting configuration.
Since 2001, United Rotorcraft (booth B4409) has delivered 17 Firehawks: twelve new build S-70is and five converted from legacy military HH/UH-60s. It estimates the fleet has accumulated more than 10,000 hours of flight time thus far.
This year it will hand over seven more Firehawks; its backlog shows five with deliveries scheduled out to 2025. Currently, all operators of the helicopter operate in California: Cal Fire, Los Angeles County Fire Department, San Diego County, Ventura County, and Santa Barbara County. The Orange County Fire Authority will join that list with a delivery expected this year. Meanwhile, the Firehawk will finally escape the state’s borders with the first delivery to the Colorado Department of Fire Prevention and Control. San Diego Gas and Electric will also become the first private operator of a Firehawk when it receives the first type-certified S-70M.
According to Alexandra Slabutu, United Rotorcraft’s regional sales manager for EMEA, the Firehawk platform has received interest from international government agencies across Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. “Since the fire season differs across regions, the multi-role and versatility of the helicopter are very attractive as it can be utilized for various missions throughout the year, not just firefighting,” she told AIN. “The S-70M variant is produced in Poland (by Lockheed Martin unit PZL Mielec) and there are several countries in Europe already flying the Blackhawk which would make it a natural transition into their fleet with minimal training.”
“With fires around the globe becoming a bigger threat each year, the Firehawk is the aircraft public agencies need to fight back in the most effective manner,” said United Rotorcraft president Larry Alexandre. “This amazing multi-purpose aircraft is a great example of what the United Rotorcraft team delivers to the market, in line with our purpose of saving lives and preserving the environment.”
In terms of autonomous operations for the Firehawk, Michael Williams, the company’s senior director for strategy and marketing, noted that Sikorsky’s Matrix autonomous flight control system remains under development and that its use in aerial firefighting “remains on a distant horizon.”
“If and when we reach that point, [we] as Sikorsky’s Firehawk partner will certainly be at the forefront,” he said.
Williams also stated that while United Rotorcraft and the Firehawk community have a voice in the process of determining the aircraft’s configurations, Sikorsky prescribes engine types. There is currently no discussion regarding swapping the current GE Aviation T700-GE-701D powerplants for the engine maker’s in-development T901 Improved Turbine Engine Program, which promises 25 percent better fuel efficiency, 10 percent greater thrust, and more power and thermal management capability when it becomes available.