Sikorsky Aircraft

Sikorsky was founded in 1925 by Kiev-born Russian American aircraft engineer Igor Sikorsky.^[1] He developed the first stable, single-rotor, fully-controllable helicopter to enter large full-scale production in 1942, upon which the majority of subsequent helicopters were based (though he did not invent the helicopter itself). The company became a part of United Aircraft in 1929, now United Technologies Corporation (UTC), and remains one of the leading helicopter manufacturers, producing such well-known models as the UH-60 Black Hawk and SH-60 Seahawk, as well as experimental types like the Sikorsky X-Wing. It is a leading defense contractor. Until recently, Sikorsky has supplied the helicopter of the President of the United States, Marine One since 1957. In January 2005, the U.S. government selected Lockheed Martin's AgustaWestland AW101-based entry (VH-71 Kestrel) as the replacement to the current Marine One aircraft. Sikorsky's VH-3 (SH-3 Sea King) and VH-60 (UH-60 Black Hawk) currently perform this role.

The company also acquired Helicopter Support Inc. (H.S.I) in 1998. This company handles all the after-market support for the Sikorsky product. H.S.I is responsible for approximately 40% of the company's EBIT.

UTC acquired Schweizer Aircraft Corp. in 2004,^[2] which now operates as a subsidiary of Sikorsky. The product lines of the two firms are complementary, and have very little overlap, as Sikorsky primarily concentrates on medium and large helicopters, while Schweizer produces small helicopters, UAVs, gliders, and light planes. The Schweizer deal was signed on August 26, 2004, exactly one week to the day after the death of Paul Schweizer, the company's founder and majority owner.

In late 2005, Sikorsky completed the purchase of Keystone Helicopter Corporation, located in Coatesville, Pennsylvania. Keystone had been maintaining and completing Sikorsky S-76 and S-92 helicopters prior to the sale.

In 2007, Sikorsky opened the Hawk Works,^[3] a Rapid Prototyping and Military Derivatives Completion Center (RPMDCC) located west of the Elmira-Corning Regional Airport in Big Flats, New York.

Sikorsky's main plant and administrative offices are located in Stratford, Connecticut. Other Sikorsky facilities are in Shelton, and Bridgeport, Connecticut; Fort Worth, Texas; West Palm Beach, Florida; and Troy, Alabama. Other Sikorsky-owned subsidiaries are in Trumbull, Connecticut; Coatesville, Pennsylvania; and Grand Prairie, Texas; among others around the world.