Sikorsky senior executives continued to voice the company’s support of the civil market, even as they announced on Tuesday the shelving of the S-92B program and moved the anticipated certification date of its A+ upgrade for the helicopter into 2025, some three years later than originally planned.
As a result, deliveries of A+ kits ordered today would not happen until 2026. While several helicopters in the installed fleet of more than 300 S-92s have nearly reached their 30,000-hour life limit, Sikorsky has no plans to extend it. And, while Sikorsky continues to take orders for new S-92s, it cannot deliver one for at least two to three years.
Meanwhile, the company has yet to choose a new assembly facility for the S-92 following the closure of its Coatesville, Pennsylvania facility in 2022. The five remaining S-92s under construction are being assembled at the company’s West Palm, Beach, Florida testing and prototyping facility.
Leon Silva, Sikorsky executive vice president of global, commercial, and military systems, said that "market forces" have driven the developments while maintaining that “the best aircraft to replace an S-92 is an S-92.” However, he said the S-92B program failed to gain traction with potential customers. Those customers are predominantly leasing companies, which now control the majority of the S-92 fleet.
Meanwhile, record utilization rates have driven fleet aggregate flight hours to 2.1 million; however, ongoing supply chain disruptions have driven S-92 dispatch rate percentages, typically in the mid-90s, down into the high 80s. Silva said the company “continues to work diligently on the supply chain” and has established what amounts to an emergency center at Sikorsky’s Trumbull, Connecticut facility to work with suppliers to resolve issues.
Sikorsky (Booth C1002) is no longer taking orders for its S-76D model after making the strategic decision not to update it with FAA-mandated crash-resistant fuel systems. Three remaining S-76Ds for the export market are under assembly at Sikorsky’s Owego, New York facility. While rumors continue to swirl about a potential sale of the S-76 line to a foreign manufacturer, Silva said the company is not ready to announce anything.