Straford, Conn., Aug. 25, 2018 – Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin company (NYSE: LMT), was presented with the BG William W. Spruance Legacy Award at the National Guard Association of the United States (NGAUS) 140th General Conference & Exhibition in New Orleans. The award is the highest given by the National Guard Education Foundation (NGEF) and is presented to individuals and companies that have demonstrated impactful contribution, service and devotion to the NGEF and its mission of disseminating the National Guard’s story and raising awareness of its heritage and enduring contributions to the nation.

A dedicated partner to the NGEF for nearly 20 years, Sikorsky has donated a total of $240,000 to help the Foundation maintain the National Guard Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C., the National Guard Monument in Vierrville-sur-Mer, France, on Omaha Beach, and other National Guard monuments throughout the United States. Sikorsky also has worked extensively with NGAUS,  the Adjutants General Association of the United States (AGAUS) and members of Congress to equip the National Guard with 165 Black Hawk helicopters, which enable the service to safely and effectively perform its critical missions.

“It is an honor to support both the National Guard and NGEF missions and equip our Guardsmen and women with the Black Hawk – the world’s premier utility helicopter,” said Dana Fiatarone, vice president, Army and Air Force Systems, Sikorsky. “We remain committed to this effort and look forward to our continued partnership for the decades to come.”

“Sikorsky is a great supporter of National Guardsmen past, present and future,” said retired Brig. Gen. Roy Robinson, the NGAUS and NGEF president. “Not only is the company vital  to the modernization of the National Guard utility helicopter fleet, its generosity has been critical over the years to our efforts to create and grow programs that preserve and share all 382 years of the Guard story.”

In 1978, Sikorsky delivered the first Black Hawk to the U.S. Army, marking 40 years of operational excellence for the aircraft. Over these four decades, brave crews have flown the Black Hawk in and out of countless combat and disaster zones to deliver and extract troops, save lives in casualty evacuation missions, provide critical supplies to troops, deliver emergency supplies during natural disasters, and perform as aerial firefighters and border patrollers.

Black Hawk by the Numbers

• More than 4,000 Black Hawk aircraft of all types are in service worldwide today, of which approximately 1,200 are H-60M models.
• The U.S. Army is the largest operator of Black Hawk aircraft with 2,135 H-60 designated aircraft.
• The U.S. Army Black Hawk fleet has flown more than 10 million flight hours.
• The Army Guard flies approximately 900 Black Hawks; the Air Guard Flies approximately 18 Black Hawks.

For more information about the Sikorsky Black Hawk, visit www.lockheedmartin.com/blackhawk.