Even as it recently tested a “pusher” prop designed to speed an experimental helicopter to record speeds, Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. continued to push along parent United Technologies Corp.”™s financial results ”“ if not quite at a record pace.
For the second consecutive quarter, Sikorsky was the only UTC division to increase sales or profits, earning $157 million on $1.6 billion in revenue.
Sikorsky is the largest employer in Fairfield County with more than 9,000 employees in Stratford, Shelton and Bridgeport, and has a broader economic impact via the subcontractors and vendors it supports.
The manufacturer delivered 61 helicopters during the quarter, 10 of them for commercial customers and the rest military. Through September, Sikorsky had delivered 160 helicopters and is on track to deliver between 230 and 240 choppers this year.
“Although the commercial market remains a challenge, Sikorsky saw greater interest from customers this quarter,” said Akhil Johri, vice president of financial planning for UTC, in a conference call last month with investors.
Rival Eurocopter last month announced $300 million in cost cuts, as it likewise deals with dampened interest for commercial helicopters, which represents fully half its output. Eurocopter contributed $6.5 billion to the revenue totals of parent European Aeronautic Defence & Space Co.
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EADS also may drop out of the bidding in India”™s contemplated purchase of attack and utility helicopters worth up to $2 billion, with Sikorsky, Boeing Co. and AgustaWestland having expressed interest in bidding for part or the entire contract.
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Sikorsky and Boeing have aircraft assembly plants an hour apart west of Philadelphia. In an effort to induce Sikorsky to further expanding an assembly plant in Coatesville, Pa., the state is working on legislation to add helicopters to its list of products exempt from state sales taxes. Sikorsky plans to add more than 300 jobs in Coatesville.
At the same time, Sikorsky has yet to proceed with a planned expansion at Horseheads, N.Y., after indicating plans to do so a year ago.
Sikorsky is in the process of test-flying a prototype helicopter dubbed X2, which is designed to cruise at 290 mph, a third faster than existing helicopters today. The aircraft features a stacked set of two rotors and an aft turbine mounted as if on the wing of a prop airplane.
A Sikorsky test pilot flew the helicopter this month at roughly 115 mph, the first time the X2 had flown forward at a high rate of speed.
“The X2 technology program is charting a new course in rotorcraft aviation and has already attracted the attention of our customers,” Mark Miller, vice president of research and engineering at Sikorsky, said in a statement.
Sikorsky has also expressed interest in developing unmanned helicopter drones. Last month for the first time, the U.S. Navy deployed a Northrop Grumman drone for ship operations called the MQ-8 Fire Scout. The unmanned aircraft was derived from a design by Schweizer Aircraft, which beat out Sikorsky to develop a drone for the Navy before Sikorsky acquired the Horseheads-based company in 2004.
The U.S. Air Force is also considering awarding a contract for an unmanned helicopter that could be capable of delivering cargo payloads.
