As part of a consortium led by Canada-based CHC Corp., Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. could supply as many as two dozen of its large S-92 helicopters to the British government for use in search-and-rescue operations.
The United Kingdom named Vancouver, British Columbia-based CHC and Stratford-based Sikorsky the “preferred bidders” for the privatization contract, in a consortium that also includes Thales and Royal Bank of Scotland.
Named for Soteria, the Greek goddess of safety and deliverance from harm, the consortium has been competing against AirKnight, which includes British International Helicopters, EADS, Lockheed Martin, and VT Group. AirKnight had offered EADS”™ Eurocopter EC225.
Under preferred bidder status, the Soteria consortium must still reach a final contract, which is expected at an undisclosed date this year. The contract is reportedly worth some $9.6 billion over 25 years.
“The S-92 helicopter has performed tremendously in the search and rescue mission, particularly in the U.K. during the last few years under the operation of CHC for the Maritime and Coastguard Agency,” said Carey Bond, president of Sikorsky Global Helicopters, in a written statement. “This announcement is a great validation of the aircraft”™s capabilities.”
Operating four Sikorsky S-92 helicopters in the United Kingdom last year, CHC performed nearly 750 missions. The S-92 features a rotor ice-protection system that allows the aircraft to operate in known icing conditions.
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More than four years after the deadly crash of a Sikorsky-built helicopter into the Baltic Sea, Copterline Oy reportedly has declared itself insolvent and has filed for bankruptcy protection.
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In August 2005, a Sikorsky S-76 piloted by Copterline crashed after takeoff into the sea near Tallinn, Estonia, killing 14 people on board including two Americans.
Sikorsky late last year reached a settlement with victims”™ family members without disclosing terms of the arrangement.
In December, a federal judge in New Haven ordered the FBI and other U.S. agencies to assist in any criminal investigation of the incident, citing a treaty between the United States and Estonia. The judge also appointed assistant U.S. attorney William Nardini as a commissioner to collect evidence from Sikorsky.
