In breaking the helicopter speed record in July, Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. wrapped up among the most eventful months in its recent history with several big deals and technology leaps.
Stratford-based Sikorsky is the largest employer in Fairfield County with more than 9,000 employees, and parent company United Technologies Corp. is Connecticut”™s largest corporate employer.
Sikorsky revenue jumped to nearly $1.7 billion in the second quarter, up 22 percent from a year ago, while improving profits 27 percent to $169 million.
During the quarter, the government of Saudi Arabia reportedly aired plans to purchase more than 70 Black Hawk helicopters from Sikorsky, part of a potential $30 billion military purchase if approved by the Pentagon.
Bloomberg news service cited an unidentified senior Saudi official in reporting the preliminary deal, which would also include 85 F-15 fighter jets from Boeing Co. outfitted with engines from East Hartford-based Pratt & Whitney, like Sikorsky a subsidiary of Hartford-based United Technologies Corp. The Saudis also want another 70 F-15 fighters refurbished.
Sikorsky confirmed only that Saudi Arabia is purchasing three Black Hawk helicopters, while taking options to purchase a dozen more at the nation”™s discretion. The Black Hawks would likely to be manufactured in Poland, where Sikorsky centers production of the international version of the helicopter.
Bloomberg quoted Navy Vice Admiral Jeffrey Wieringa saying in addition to fighters and helicopters, the purchase would include ships and missile-defense systems.
At the Farnborough International Airshow in Great Britain in mid-July, Sikorsky announced several other deals, including plans to establish a military aircraft overhaul center in the United Arab Emirates, with UAE and UTC jointly investing $800 million in the project. The center is expected to employ 1,000 people.
Earlier this month, Australia asked for U.S. permission to purchase 24 Seahawk helicopters equipped with engines from Fairfield-based General Electric Co., in a deal valued at $2.2 billion.
On the technological front, Sikorsky said it broke the world speed record for a rotorcraft ”“ unofficially ”“ as its X2 prototype helicopter topped out at just under 260 miles an hour during a one-hour flight test in West Palm Beach, Fla.
The X2 features a rear “pusher” propeller mounted at right angles to a helicopter”™s standard rear rotor, enabling the aircraft to fly at far faster speeds. A stacked set of main rotors whirl in opposite directions to enable the pilot to steer and minimize vibration.
Sikorsky pilot Kevin Bredenbeck piloted the flight, which snapped a speed record that the Westland Lynx helicopter had held since 1986. Sikorsky plans to push the X2 to nearly 290 miles per hour later this year.
Having developed the X2 on its own research budget, Sikorsky is marketing the helicopter to the U.S. Army as a potential future armed scout.
Sikorsky also confirmed it is working on an battery-powered helicopter, which among benefits could promise a far quieter machine for military missions requiring stealth.
UTC had a $1.1 billion profit on sales of $13.9 billion in the second quarter, up 5 percent from a year ago. Of the Hartford-based conglomerate”™s six divisions, only UTC Fire & Security matched Sikorsky for year-over-year revenue growth. Otis Elevator Co. had the worst performance as sales dropped 4 percent from a year ago.
After laying plans to cut its global work force by 1,400 positions in the first quarter, United Technologies Corp. added another 1,000 jobs to the chopping block in the second quarter, and indicated it will likely add to that total over the remainder of the year.
The company entered 2010 with a work force numbering 206,700 people.
