Delivery Closely Follows CAAC Certification Of The Aircraft

Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. announced today that Yunnan Jingcheng Group accepted delivery of the first S-76D aircraft that will operate in China. The aircraft is configured for transportation of corporate and government VIPs.

Sikorsky recently announced at the 2014 Asian Business Aviation Conference & Exhibition that the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) had issued a validation type certificate for the S-76D aircraft, allowing Sikorsky to begin delivering the commercial helicopter to customers in China.
 
Jingcheng also flies a Sikorsky 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.
 
With the delivery of this aircraft, nearly 40 S-76 aircraft will operate in China. In China's intermediate aircraft market segment (7,000 to 15,000 lbs gross weight), the S-76 occupies more than 35 percent (the highest) of the total.
 
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 volumes based on market demand. Aero Vodochody in the Czech Republic also supplies the cabins.
 
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.

(Image provided by Sikorsky)

FMI: www.sikorsky.com