Sikorsky president Dan Schultz and Dana Fiatarone, commercial systems and services vice president, outlined progress on the company's aircraft programs Tuesday at Heli-Expo 2018 and also provided insight into the Lockheed Martin subsidiary's future plans in the helicopter market.
Schultz discussed the development of the CH-53K and noted, “We are in full production of this fly-by-wire helicopter now.” He continued to discuss the lasting importance of the Black Hawk’s role, saying, “It is one of the safest and most reliable helicopters ever built in the world today. It is the core of what develops a solid machine and it keeps reinventing itself.”
Schultz made particular note of Firehawk versions of the Black Hawk. Firehawks have been sold to Los Angeles County and Cal Fire. “I feel very proud that we are making a difference in the civil market and doing something that changes a really dangerous situation on the West Coast,” he said. A Firehawk is on display this week at Sikorsky’s booth (N5315).
Continuing the discussion about Black Hawks, Schultz mentioned optionally piloted Black Hawks and armed Black Hawks that can currently be reconfigured and set up in less than two hours, which he said “is an exciting evolution for us.”
Meanwhile, Schultz was equally enthusiastic about the S-97 Raider. “The Raider has been flying since the end of March [2017], and we’re going to take it up to 222 knots. That aircraft has been fantastic in its flight envelope. We are very excited about it think it will change the way you think about helicopters,” said Schultz.
After handing the discussion over to Fiatarone, the future of Sikorsky was explored with insight into certification efforts and future aircraft development. After selling its light helicopter product line to Schweizer RSG, Fiatarone echoed the contentment with that decision. “It allows us to focus more on the medium and heavy segment of helicopters, which is the core for Sikorsky,” he said.
Fiatarone also discussed about Sikorsky’s next-generation platform. “The way I like to think about a next-gen commercial helicopter is bringing something differentiated to the marketplace. I think what you’ll see from us in the near-term is continued investment in our S-76 and S-92 programs. There is a lot of excitement inside Sikorsky and certainly a lot of excitement inside Lockheed Martin on what is next for us.”