Will Be Primary Finisher For Black Hawks, Derivatives

With the snip of a ceremonial red ribbon, Sikorsky Aircraft, its Schweizer Aircraft subsidiary and a host of New York dignitaries officially opened the new Hawk Works completion center on the west side of Elmira/Corning Regional Airport.

The 100,000-square-foot building will serve as the primary completion center for all Black Hawk and Naval Hawk derivative aircraft for the US government and foreign military customers. Black Hawk-derivative helicopters requiring customized configurations for a range of specialized missions will be manufactured at Sikorsky's Connecticut facilities, and then transported to the Hawk Works center for completion. The new center also adds capacity for additional future military work.

About 100 new employees will staff the Hawk Works center, which is located approximately one quarter-mile from Schweizer's current facility.

"We are excited and proud to open this new building, but the significance of today's ceremony is much larger than the building itself.  Sikorsky is increasing its global presence in the helicopter industry, and this new building represents a major step along that path," said Sikorsky President Jeffrey Pino. "As strategically envisioned, the Hawk Works center will fulfill several roles that are essential for our steady growth and continued competitiveness.  These include strengthening our supply chain, enhancing our quality system through process discipline and standard work, and, most importantly, honoring the increasingly demanding expectations of our US government and international customers."

The ceremony, held at Schweizer, was attended by representatives from congressional offices, state and Chemung County officials, and 100 Schweizer employees.

Among the dignitaries were New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer, Congressman John R. "Randy" Kuhl, Chemung County Executive Tom Santulli, State Sen. George Winner, New York State Assemblyman Tom O'Mara, and Daniel Gundersen, Upstate Chair of the Empire State Development Corp.

FMI: www.sikorsky.com