Sikorsky still sees “significant demand” for the S-92 and is hoping in the coming months to finalise the first new orders in several years for the heavy-twin, largely for VIP or head-of-state missions.
Last year the US airframer handed over just two units – both head-of-state aircraft – but is aiming to secure sufficient sales to enable brisk rates of annual production in the future.
“Our target is to get to a point where we are building about a dozen each year,” Leon Silva, vice-president of global and military systems, said at a press conference on 11 March.
“We anticipate that we will get some of those orders this year based on the activity we currently have with customers.”
Silva, speaking at the Verticon trade show in Dallas, says current sales discussions relate to head-of-state-configured examples and involve new and repeat customers.
Interest in that variant has been spurred by the “success of the US presidential programme” – the S-92-derived VH-92 Patriot – he adds.
But despite high utilisation levels, there is little interest from the oil and gas industry, where the S-92 is a mainstay of offshore transport operations.
“Our assessment does not show a significant demand for additional aircraft in offshore oil,” Silva says.
Most demand from that segment over the last two years has been absorbed by previously parked examples, he adds. “We are down to essentially no aircraft in storage.”
Elsewhere, there has also been a push – in Norway for example – to diversify fleets away from S-92s to enhance operational resilience, leading to the introduction of super-medium helicopters such as the Leonardo Helicopters AW189.
Forecasts suggest that increasing numbers of S-92s will begin to be retired from offshore operations in the latter part of this decade as they reach a 20-year limit mandated by oil and gas producers.
However, Silva is unconvinced by these predictions, noting that the helicopter continues to perform well. “When you have something that is working well you are going to essentially achieve its full use.
“Our experience so far is that customers who have the S-92 want to take it out to the full extent,” he says.
What may happen, Silva suggests, is that oil companies “may start recognising that replacement when [an S-92] hits 20 years will require a significant investment” and the timeline “will likely be adjusted”.
Improvements to the in-service S-92 fleet could potentially alter the dynamic. For example, Sikorsky is introducing the new Phase IV main gearbox (MGB) for the platform as part of its A+ model upgrade.
This significantly boosts safety though the addition of an auxiliary lubrication system in case of a primary oil pressure loss. Maximum take-off weight also rises to 12,564kg (27,700lb), up from 12,065kg previously.
Flight tests of the system have wrapped up and “we are in the last few steps of certification”, Silva adds, a milestone expected “by the end of the year”.
While the new gearbox will come as standard on all new-build helicopters, it will also be offered as an A+ upgrade kit.
“We are actively working with a number of customers on its introduction,” he adds, with the expectation of the first contracts this year, enabling service entry in 2027.
Improvements made to beef up the MGB’s supply chain and a life-extension granted to the gearbox housing have also reduced the number of S-92s idled due to lack of parts to “a handful”, he claims.
Sikorsky is building the low numbers of S-92s at its plant in West Palm Beach, Florida, following the 2022 closure of its factory in Coatesville, Pennsylvania.
The airframer continues to plan for a new permanent home for the programme but the location has “yet to be formalised”, says Silva.
Additionally, Sikorsky is still seeking a new partner for its shuttered S-76D programme, as it looks for ways to revive the medium-twin.
Production was halted in 2022 due to costs associated with US requirements to introduce a new crash-resistant fuel system. The airframer has since been exploring options for the programme.
Talks with industry have “evolved” over the past two years as Sikorsky’s original ideas failed to materialise, says Silva, and could include a licencing agreement or other partnering arrangement.
