Helicopters & Rotorcraft Technologies

CHARLOTTE, N.C., 15 Feb. 2012. Goodrich Corp. (NYSE:GR), a member of the industry team building the Sikorsky Aircraft S-97 Raider next-generation helicopter scheduled for U.S. military evaluation in 2014, will deliver high-speed flexible couplings, an advanced tail propulser drive shaft system, a SmartProbe air data system, and a lightweight, efficient LED lighting system. These avionics systems and components will be developed and produced by Goodrich teams in Rome, N.Y., Burnsville, Minn., and Oldsmar, Fla.

DALLAS, 13 Feb. 2012. Eurocopter announced its newest helicopter and latest addition to the company’s lightweight single-engine product line, the EC130 T2, designed to offer comfort, operational performance, and versatility. The EC130 T2, revealed during a curtain-dropping, well-attended ceremony at Heli-Expo 2012, already boasts seven launch customers for the rotary-wing aircraft with a total of 105 bookings.

DALLAS, 13 Feb. 2012. The new Bell 525 Relentless super-medium helicopter, unveiled by Bell Helicopter, a Textron Inc. company (NYSE:TXT), during Heli-Expo 2012 in Dallas, features a state-of-the-art flight deck, ARC Horizon, that takes advantage of the Garmin G5000H integrated avionics suite. Larry D. Roberts, senior vice president of Bell Helicopter's Commercial Business characterizes the Horizon flight deck as "one of the most compelling elements of the new Bell 525 Relentless."

DALLAS, 13 Feb. 2012. Bell Helicopter, a Textron Inc. company (NYSE:TXT), unveiled what is being dubbed the first super-medium helicopter. In a spectacular display that had half the exhibit floor at a stand-still crowded with eagerly awaiting show attendees, the company revealed the Bell 525 Relentless. The Bell 525 R is the result of years of work on a project previously referred to as Magellan.

DALLAS, 13 Feb. 2012. The mood at Helicopter Association International’s (HAI’s) Heli-Expo 2012 in Dallas is positive, with all signs and reports pointing to growth. HAI executives revealed that they broke previous attendance records, logging more than 18,000 registered attendees. The record-breaking attendance was achieved one full day before the show is scheduled to close, in the afternoon of 14 Feb.

MIDDLETON, Wis., 10 Feb. 2012. Extreme Engineering Solutions Inc. (X-ES) is introducing the XPand4201 sub-half ATR forced-air-cooled embedded computing enclosure for conduction-cooled modules in military embedded systems and similar applications like command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance; avionics; helicopters; fixed-wing aircraft; and unmanned vehicles.

SIDNEY, N.Y., 9 Feb. 2012. Amphenol Aerospace, a provider of interconnect systems, has unveiled a series of rugged, micro-miniature connectors designed to maximize size, weight, and power (SWaP) in high-reliability, harsh environments, as well as to deliver power throughput and consistent coupling by incorporating more electrical connections in a compact form factor. The company’s new 2M Series are available in shell sizes from 5 to 23, weigh 72 percent less and is 52 percent smaller than standard MIL-DTL-38999 connectors, and are intermateable and intermountable with existing micro-miniature, high-density connectors typically used in aerospace and defense applications.

OTTAWA, Ontario, 8 Feb. 2012. Plaintree Systems Inc. (CNSX:NPT) has acquired the business and assets of Summit Tool Corp. of Pocono Summit, Pa. Officials at Summit Aerospace USA Inc., Plaintree’s U.S. subsidiary, will operate the business, which is expected to help position the aerospace division in the high-value engine component sector.

BOHEMIA, N.Y., 7 Feb. 2012. Data Device Corp. (DDC) in Bohemia, N.Y., is introducing the BU-67401L low-power dual MIL-STD-1553 transceiver for avionics and other military networking and communications applications. the device measures 7 by 7 millimeters. The BU-67401L transceiver offers options for MIL-STD-1553A/B, MIL-STD-1760, and McAir compatibility to fit a wide range of ground and aerospace applications from mission computers and displays to ground vehicles and commercial aircraft.

NASHUA, N.H., 3 Feb. 2012. U.S. Army officials have named BAE Systems in Nashua, N.H., and Northrop Grumman Corp. in Manassas, Va., as the contractors, under a 21-month technology demonstration award valued at $38 million, to develop the next-generation Common Infrared Countermeasure (CIRCM) solution. U.S. Army, Navy, and Marine rotary-wing aircraft will employ the lightweight, directed infrared countermeasure system.

SPARKS, Nev., 24 Jan. 2012. Sierra Nevada Corp. (SNC) won a contract from Science and Engineering Services Inc. to fulfill the Degraded Visual Environments (DVE) Operational Needs Statement (ONS) under the U.S. Army Aviation Networks Mission Planning (ANMP) program directorate. The company will deliver 10 Helicopter Autonomous Landing System (HALS) with three-dimensional (3D) imagery and landing guidance symbology in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. HALS combines real-time 3D radar imagery with digital terrain map, satellite imagery, and DVE-specific guidance symbology for takeoff, approach, and landing operations in fog, brownout, and other challenging conditions.

TORRANCE, Calif., 19 Jan 2012. Robinson Helicopter Co. in Torrance, Calif., more than doubled its production of civil helicopters in 2011 over the previous year, building 356 rotorcraft compared with 2010's production of 162, company officials announced. Production in 2011 saw Robinson build 212 Robinson model R44 Raven/Clipper series helicopters, 88 Robinson model R66 Turbine helicopters, and 56 Robinson model R22 Beta II helicopters.

BETHESDA, Md., 18 Jan. 2012. Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) is acquiring Procerus Technologies, maker of autopilot, targeting, and payload technologies for micro unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) based in Orem, Utah. Procerus customers include domestic and international governments, as well as industry and academic institutions. The company’s Kestrel autopilot system, among the smallest and lightest full-featured micro autopilot system, is well suited for surveillance and reconnaissance applications.

LONDON, 13 Jan. 2012. The military helicopter modernization, upgrade, and retrofit market—commonly referred to as MRO, or maintenance, repair, and overhaul--will reach a value of $3.98 billion in 2012, according to a new report from Visiongain. The strains of recent operations combine with tighter budgets and a need to maintain a qualitative advantage are driving the upgrade and retrofit of existing helicopter platforms. 

FORT WORTH, Texas, 9 Jan. 2012. the Turkish National Police in Ankara, Turkey, needed helicopters for a variety of police work in the Middle Eastern country. They found their solution from Bell Helicopter, a Textron Inc. company (NYSE:TXT), in Fort Worth, Texas. The Turkish police is entering into final negotiations with Bell Helicopter to purchase 15 Bell 429 helicopters with an option for five additional rotorcraft.

COATESVILLE, Pa., 3 Jan. 2012. Sikorsky Aircraft Corp.,a subsidiary of United Technologies Corp. (NYSE:UTX), has completed productionof an S-92 helicopter for CHC Helicopter on behalf of the Irish Coast Guard. Thehelicopter, equipped for dedicated search and rescue (SAR) operations, will helpprovide coverage for deep Atlantic Ocean missions, service Ireland's offshoreislands, and provide rescue cover on the country's west coast. The new aircraftwill replace the Coast Guard’s current Sikorsky S-61helicopter.

LOS ANGELES, 20 Dec. 2011. A provider of electronics manufacturing services (EMS), the  Ducommun LaBarge Technologies (DLT) business unit of Ducommun Inc. (NYSE:DCO) will produce electronic assemblies and wiring harnesses for the V-22 Osprey military aircraft under a roughly $14 million contract from Bell Helicopter, a unit of Textron Inc. (NYSE:TXT).

STRATFORD, Conn., 12 Dec. 2011. Sikorsky Aircraft, a subsidiary of United Technologies Corp. (NYSE:UTX), and By Kids For Kids Co., an organization that inspires kids to be inventors, awarded a California teenager the Igor Sikorsky Youth Innovator Award for envisioning a small unmanned helicopter that could carry critical relief supplies and electrical power to the scene of a natural disaster or other catastrophic event.

NEW YORK, 3 Dec. 2011. Associated Aircraft Group (AAG), a premier executive helicopter company and a subsidiary of Sikorsky Aircraft Corp., which is part of United Technologies Corp. (NYSE:UTX), has retained its designation as a Wyvern Standard-approved helicopter operator upon passing the industry's rigorous safety audit.