Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. announced a contract with the U.S. Department of State for up to 110 modernized S-61 helicopters, with the first four choppers to support U.S. embassy operations in Afghanistan.
Stratford-based Sikorsky is a division of United Technologies Corp. (UTC).
Originally dubbed the Sea King, Sikorsky introduced the helicopter more than 50 years ago. The manufacturer said the aircraft is a good alternative to the Pentagon”™s current purchase and use of Russian helicopters for some missions.
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) awarded Sikorsky a contract to develop rotor technologies that will allow aircraft to adapt to changing environments.
Phase one of the project is worth $5.9 million and will take 16 months to complete. Sikorsky would have to bid competitively for the second phase of the contract, which would require validation of its design; and for the third phase, which would include flight testing.
“Adaptive rotor technologies have the potential to vastly improve performance, and reduce vibration and noise,” said Mark Miller, Sikorsky vice president of research and engineering. “We are developing the next generation helicopter ”“ an intelligent and adaptive helicopter that can become aware of its surroundings, identify the proximity of a threat, adjust in brownout situations, and respond appropriately.”
Meanwhile, after months of layoffs and union strife, Pratt & Whitney announced plans to open a jet engine research “center of excellence” at the University of Connecticut.
“The collaboration between Pratt & Whitney and UConn helps us attract world-class experts to our faculty and students to our school, and provides companies like Pratt & Whitney with talented engineers,” said Peter Nicholls, provost of UConn. “These partnerships also benefit the people of the state of Connecticut.”
A division of UTC, Pratt & Whitney also has similar research centers at Georgia Tech, Ohio State University, Penn State University, the University of California Santa Barbara, and Virginia Tech.
