Farnborough Air Show, United Kingdom - 

Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. announced today that National Helicopter Services Ltd. (NHSL) recently reached 500 flight hours in its S-76D™ helicopter. The announcement was made at the 2014 Farnborough Air Show in Farnborough, United Kingdom. Sikorsky is a subsidiary of United Technologies Corp. (NYSE: UTX).

In February 2014, NHSL flew the first-ever revenue flight of an S-76D helicopter. National Helicopters, which operates out of Trinidad and Tobago, has been a Sikorsky customer for more than 35 years and logged more than 100,000 hours in the S-76® family of helicopters. NHSL currently flies eight S-76 aircraft including one S-76D. They are scheduled to receive two additional S-76D helicopters later this year.

“National is really putting the S-76D to work and learning just how reliable the aircraft is,” said Carey Bond, president, Sikorsky Commercial Systems & Services. “We are proud to see that the aircraft can not only meet their needs in the oil and gas segment, but exceed them as well.”

“Our Sikorsky aircraft continue exceeding mission requirements while getting crews safely and efficiently to where they need to go,” said Joshey Mahabir, National’s CEO and General Manager. “We are thrilled with the performance of the S-76D helicopter and look forward to expanding our fleet with Sikorsky products.”

Today, Sikorsky also announced that it has begun delivering S-76D helicopters configured for VIP operations as well as S-76D aircraft equipped for search-and-rescue (SAR) service. By the end of this year, the company expects to deliver S-76D helicopters equipped for the Emergency Medical Services; the fourth and final mission segment for the S-76D helicopter.

Sikorsky has delivered more than 800 S-76 helicopters to customers globally since 1979, contributing daily to a growing 6.5-million-plus fleet flight hours total.

The new generation S-76D helicopter, through its application of modern technologies, provides a substantial increase in performance, power and authority. The S-76D helicopter’s baseline equipment includes powerful and efficient Pratt & Whitney Canada PW210S engines; an advanced THALES TopDeck® integrated avionics system and four-axis autopilot; Health and Usage Monitoring System (HUMS) incorporated into fleet monitoring and analysis; active vibration control; and all-composite, flaw-tolerant main rotor blades. A Rotor Ice Protection System (RIPS) for all-weather capability will be available as an option.

Sikorsky Aircraft Corp., based in Stratford, Connecticut, is a world leader in aircraft design, manufacture and service. United Technologies Corp., based in Hartford, Connecticut, provides a broad range of high-technology products and support services to the aerospace and building systems industries.