Sikorsky Celebrates 30th Anniversary in China at Zhuhai Air Show

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Nov 11, 2014, 09:37 ET

ZHUHAI, China, Nov. 11, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- AIR SHOW CHINA -- Sikorsky will celebrate its 30^th anniversary in China together with China civil aviation industry peers at Air Show China, which is taking place November 11-16, 2014, in Zhuhai, China. Sikorsky is a subsidiary of United Technologies Corp. (NYSE: UTX).

"We have been a long-term friend to the China civil aviation industry," said Mick Maurer, president, Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. "We delivered our first five S-76A™ helicopters to Chinese companies in 1984. Today, we have more than 100 Sikorsky civil helicopters supporting offshore oil, search and rescue, executive transport and other commercial business needs throughout China. We're excited to celebrate our three-decade friendship with the China civil aviation industry at Air Show China."

In the past 30 years, Sikorsky has achieved a series of milestones during its collaboration with the China civil aviation industry.

In 1984, Sikorsky delivered the first S-76A civil helicopters to China. Then in 1996, the first delivery of an S-76C+™ helicopter was made. Four years later, the Ministry of Transport received the first S-76^® search-and-rescue helicopters. In 2003, Sikorsky formed a joint venture with Shanghai Little Eagle to provide civil helicopter sales and support as well as general aviation services.

The S-92^® and S-76C++™ entered the Chinese market in 2005, and in 2008, the first S-76 for executive transport was delivered. In the same year, AVIC, through its subsidiaries Changhe Aircraft Industries Corporation and Shanghai Xinsheng Aviation Industry Investment and Development Company, joined Shanghai Sikorsky to support S-76 and S-92 helicopters under the new JV name of Shanghai Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation.

More recently, in 2013 Sikorsky and China's CITIC Offshore Helicopter Company (COHC) announced an agreement to supply S-92 helicopters to support COHC offshore operations. Sikorsky became the only helicopter OEM to supply for all three major offshore oil service providers in China. In the same year, Sikorsky reached an agreement with Changhe Aircraft Industries Group Co., Ltd. that Changhe will produce S-76D™ commercial helicopter cabins for Sikorsky.

This year, Sikorsky received a validation type certificate from the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) for the S-76D helicopter. In April, Sikorsky delivered the first S-76D helicopter to Yunnan Jingcheng Group for transportation of corporate and government VIPs. S-76D is the latest Sikorsky model and features Pratt & Whitney Canada's PW210S engines.

"I'm pleased with the collaborations that we have developed with the China civil aviation industry over the past 30 years," continued Maurer. "We value China as an important market and it is a privilege for us to contribute to the development of this industry."

Sikorsky, based in Stratford, Connecticut, is a world leader in helicopter design, manufacture and service. United Technologies Corp., based in Hartford, Connecticut, provides high technology products and support services to the aerospace and building systems industries worldwide.

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