Sikorsky Aircraft facts for kids

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Sikorsky

Type	Subsidiary
Industry	Aviation Defense industry
Founded	1923; 102 years ago (1923)
Founder	Igor Sikorsky
Headquarters	Stratford, Connecticut , United States
Key people	Richard Benton (president)
Products	Helicopters, other aircraft
Number of employees	15,975 (2014)
Parent	United Aircraft and Transport Corporation (1929–1934) United Aircraft Corporation (1934–1974) United Technologies (1975–2015) Lockheed Martin (2015–present)
Divisions	Sikorsky Development Flight Center, West Palm Beach, Florida, US (founded 1977)
Subsidiaries	Schweizer Aircraft (closed 2012) PZL Mielec (now a Lockheed Martin subsidiary) Tata–Sikorsky Aerospace Limited (JV with TASL)

Sikorsky Aircraft is an American company that builds aircraft. It is located in Stratford, Connecticut. Igor Sikorsky, an aviation pioneer from Russia and America, started the company in 1923. Sikorsky was one of the first companies to make helicopters. They built helicopters for both everyday use and for the military. The company also made seaplanes for passengers and even vehicles like trains and boats.

Sikorsky was part of United Technologies Corporation for many years. In November 2015, Lockheed Martin bought Sikorsky.

History of Sikorsky Aircraft
AHS Sikorsky Prize
Sikorsky Products
Gallery
See also
- Similar Helicopter Companies

History of Sikorsky Aircraft

How Sikorsky Started

On March 5, 1923, the Sikorsky Aero Engineering Corporation began. It was near Roosevelt Field in New York. Igor Sikorsky, who was born in Kiev, Ukraine, founded the company. In 1925, the company's name changed to Sikorsky Manufacturing Company.

After their S-38 aircraft became successful, the company was reorganized. It became the Sikorsky Aviation Corporation with a lot of money. This allowed them to buy land and build a new factory in Stratford. In 1929, the company moved to Stratford, Connecticut. That same year, it became part of United Aircraft and Transport Corporation. This company later became United Technologies Corporation (UTC).

An advertisement for the Sikorsky S-42 Clipper flying boat from 1937.

Focus on Helicopters

In the United States, Igor Sikorsky first worked on airplanes with multiple engines. He also developed planes that could land on water. In the late 1930s, airplane sales went down. United Aircraft then combined Sikorsky's division with Vought Aircraft.

Igor Sikorsky then started working on a practical helicopter. He first flew the VS-300. After that, he created the Sikorsky R-4. This was the first stable, single-rotor helicopter that could be fully controlled. It began full production in 1942. Most helicopters made since then are based on its design.

Sikorsky Aircraft is still a top helicopter maker today. They produce famous models like the UH-60 Black Hawk and SH-60 Seahawk. They also make experimental aircraft like the Sikorsky S-72. Sikorsky has provided the Presidential helicopter since 1957. The VH-3 and VH-60 helicopters currently serve the President.

Sikorsky's Locations

Sikorsky's main factory and offices are in Stratford, Connecticut. They also have a large private heliport there. Other Sikorsky facilities are in Trumbull, Shelton, and Bridgeport, Connecticut. They also have locations in Fort Worth, Texas, West Palm Beach, Florida, and Huntsville and Troy, Alabama. Sikorsky also owns companies in other parts of the world.

In 2023, Sikorsky Aircraft celebrated its 100th anniversary.

The Sikorsky Aircraft logo used until November 2015.

Sikorsky Joins Lockheed Martin

In 2015, United Technologies Corporation (UTC) thought Sikorsky was not as profitable as its other businesses. They considered selling it or spinning it off into a separate company.

On July 20, 2015, Lockheed Martin announced they would buy Sikorsky from UTC. The price was $9.0 billion. The deal needed approval from many different places. The final approval came in November 2015. The sale was completed on November 6, 2015.

AHS Sikorsky Prize

In 1980, the American Helicopter Society International created a prize. It was for the first human-powered helicopter flight. To win, the helicopter had to fly for 60 seconds. It also had to reach a height of 3 meters and stay within a 10 by 10 meter area. The prize money started at US$10,000 and soon grew to US$25,000.

In 2010, Sikorsky Aircraft promised to increase the prize money to US$250,000. Canadian engineers Dr. Todd Reichert and Cameron Robertson worked with a team from the University of Toronto. They built the world's largest human-powered helicopter, called the AeroVelo Atlas. It first flew in August 2012. On June 13, 2013, it flew for 64 seconds and reached 3.3 meters. This flight won the prize.

Sikorsky Products

Sikorsky gives most of its aircraft models "S-numbers." Igor Sikorsky designed models S-1 through S-27 before he left Russia. Later models, especially helicopters, often received different names from the military. These names depended on their purpose, like UH, SH, or MH. This happened even if the aircraft were very similar.

Airplanes Made by Sikorsky

Sikorsky S-28: A planned four-engine airliner, Sikorsky's first American design (1919).
Sikorsky S-29-A: A twin-engine cargo plane, the first Sikorsky aircraft built in the U.S. (1924).
Sikorsky S-30: A planned twin-engine airliner/mailplane, never built (1925).
Sikorsky S-31: A single-engine biplane (1925).
Sikorsky S-32: A single-engine, two-passenger biplane (1926).
Sikorsky S-33 Messenger: A single-engine biplane (1925).
Sikorsky S-34: A prototype twin-engine flying boat (1927).
Sikorsky S-35: A three-engine transport biplane (1926).
Sikorsky S-36 "Amphibion": An eight-seat, two-engine flying boat (1927).
Sikorsky S-37 "Guardian": An eight-seat, two-engine plane, Sikorsky's last land-based airplane design (1927).
Sikorsky S-38: An eight-seat, two-engine flying boat (1928–1933).
- Sikorsky RS: A transport flying boat.
Sikorsky S-39: A five-seat, single-engine version of the S-38 (1929–1932).
Sikorsky S-40: A four-engine, 28-passenger flying boat (1931).
Sikorsky S-41: A twin-engine flying boat (1931).
Sikorsky XP2S: A prototype twin-engine patrol flying boat (1932).
Sikorsky XSS: A Naval scout flying-boat (1933).
Sikorsky S-42 "Clipper": A four-engine flying boat (1934–1935).
Sikorsky XBLR-3: A bomber aircraft (1935-1936), Sikorsky's last fixed-wing design.
Sikorsky S-43 "Baby Clipper": A twin-engine, amphibious flying boat (1935–1937).
Sikorsky VS-44 "Excalibur": A four-engine flying boat (1937).
Sikorsky S-45: A six-engine flying boat planned for Pan Am, never built (1938).
Sikorsky S-57/XV-2: A planned supersonic convertiplane, never built.

Production Helicopters

Model	Designation	From	Until	MTOW (lb, t)		Notes
S-47	R-4	1942	1944	2,581	1.17	The world's first production helicopter.
S-48/S-51	R-5/H-5	1944	1952	4,825	2.19	Carried more, flew longer, faster, and higher than the R-4.
S-49	R-6	1945		2,600	1.18	An improved R-4 with a new body.
S-52	H-18/HO5S	1947		2,700	1.225	Featured all-metal rotors.
S-55	H-19 Chickasaw	1949		7,500	3.41	A utility helicopter for ten passengers.
S-56	CH-37 Mojave	1953		31,000	14.1	A twin-piston engine helicopter.
S-58	H-34 Choctaw	1954	1970	14,000	6.35	A larger, more advanced S-55 for 18 passengers.
S-61	SH-3	1959		19,000	8.62	A medium-lift transport helicopter.
S-61	SH-3 Sea King	1959	1970s	22,050	10	Used for anti-submarine warfare, rescue, or transport.
S-61	CH-124 Sea King	1963	2018	22,050	10	An export version for the Canadian Armed Forces.
S-61R	CH-3/HH-3	1963	1970s	22,050	10	An S-61 with a rear cargo ramp.
S-62	HH-52 Seaguard	1958		8,300	3.76	An amphibious helicopter that can land on water.
S-64 Skycrane	CH-54 Tarhe	1962		42,000	19.05	A "flying crane" for lifting heavy loads.
S-64	CH-54 Tarhe	1962		47,000	21	A transport helicopter for the US Army.
S-65	CH-53 Sea Stallion	1964	1978	42,000	19.1	A medium to heavy-lift transport helicopter.
S-65	MH-53	1967	1970	46,000	21	Used for long-range search and rescue.
S-70	UH-60 Black Hawk	1974	current	23,500	10.66	A twin-turbine transport/utility helicopter.
S-70	SH-60 Sea Hawk	1979	current	23,000	10.4	Used by the US Navy for anti-ship warfare, combat, and rescue.
S-70	HH-60 Pave Hawk	1982	current	22,000	9.9	Used by the USAF for combat, rescue, and medical transport.
S-70	HH-60 Jayhawk	1990	1996	21,884	9.93	Used by the US Coast Guard for rescue and patrol.
S-76		1977	current	11,700	5.31	A twin-turbine commercial helicopter with 14 seats.
S-80	CH-53E Super Stallion	1974	1980s	73,500	33.3	A larger version developed from the CH-53.
S-92	H-92 Superhawk	1998	current	27,700	12.6	A twin-turbine medium-lift helicopter.
S-92	CH-148 Cyclone	2018	current	28,650	13	A Canadian military version of the S-92.
S-95	CH-53K King Stallion	2018	current	84,700	38.4	A development of the CH-53E Super Stallion.
S-300C		1964	2018	2,050	0.93	A three-seat, single-piston helicopter.
S-333		1992	2018	2,550	1.16	A single-turbine version of the S-300.
S-434		2008	2015	3,200	1.45	An improved S-333.

Prototype Helicopters

Model	Designation	Year	MTOW (lb, t)		Notes
S-46	VS-300	1939	1,150	0.52	The first US helicopter with a single main rotor.
S-50					A planned small helicopter; only a wooden model was built.
S-53	XHJS-1	1947			A naval utility helicopter, two prototypes were made.
S-54		1948			An R-4B modified into a "sesqui-tandem" shape.
S-59	XH-39	1953	3,361	1.53	Two H-18s changed to use one turbine engine, one prototype.
S-60		1959	21,000	9.5	A prototype "flying crane" based on the CH-37, crashed in 1961.
S-67	Blackhawk	1970	24,272	11	An attack helicopter prototype.
S-68					A proposed change to the S-58T, none were built.
S-69		1973	12,500	5.7	An experimental jet helicopter with two main rotors.
S-71	AAH				Sikorsky's entry for the US Army's Advanced Attack Helicopter.
S-72		1976	26,047	11.8	A NASA experimental jet hybrid aircraft.
S-73	HLH		118,000	53.5	Sikorsky's entry for the US Army's Heavy Lift Helicopter.
S-75		1984	8,470	3.82	An all-composite helicopter, two prototypes were made.
S-78-20 & S-78-29		1975	17,520 (-20) 19,997 (-29)	7.95 (-20) 9.07 (-29)	Proposed commercial versions of the S-70, never built.
S-97 Raider	AAS	2015	11,000	4.99	A proposed compound helicopter for the US Army.
S-100	SB>1 Defiant	2019			A compound helicopter prototype for the US Army.
S-102	Raider X	2023			A compound helicopter for the US Army's Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft.
S-103	Defiant X				A compound helicopter for the US Army's Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft.
Firefly					An electric S-300 helicopter shown in 2010.
X2		2008	6,000	2.72	An experimental high-speed helicopter with two main rotors.

Other Aircraft and Products

Boeing-Sikorsky RAH-66 Comanche: A stealth attack helicopter.
Sikorsky Cypher: A doughnut-shaped unmanned aircraft (1992).
Sikorsky Cypher II: A newer version of the Cypher (2001).
Vertical Take-Off and Landing Experimental Aircraft: A design for an aircraft that can take off and land vertically.
Sikorsky Rotor Blown Wing: An experimental aircraft design.