PAUL DERBY
Sikorsky has announced a raft of improvements for the S-76 helicopter and plans to harness new technologies destined for the S-92 and the RAH-66 Comanche as part of a long-term plan to keep the S-76 competitive. An upgrade package is scheduled for certification and introduction by 2004, with new features including an uprated engine, integrated cockpit, quiet tail rotor and improved interior. Certification of the Turbomeca Arriel 2S2 will allow Sikorsky to offer operators 6% more power than the existing 2S1 powerplant. "We're working closely with Turbomeca to see that the 2S2 is designed and demonstrated to achieve maximum durability in the S-76," says Paul Martin, Sikorsky's vice-president of engineering. The new S-76 cockpit will have flat panel liquid crystal displays, digital databus architecture and rack adaptability to incorporate optional equipment. Work on the quiet tail rotor will see an advanced airfoil design with swept tip and flush fastener attachments introduced. Sikorsky says the rotor provides improved aerodynamic efficiency, allowing rotational speed to be slowed to improve acoustics.
Cabin improvements will include active vibration control, active noise control and a low noise main transmission. The transmission will employ gear designs from the Comanche which have proven their noise reduction capability. Meanwhile, Sikorsky has announced that the fifth production S-76C+ airframe has been received from the new supplier, the Czech manufacturer Aero Vodochody. The fuselage is assembled entirely in the Czech Republic. Aero Vodochody was selected in 2000 as a prime supplier of airframe assemblies for the S-76C+. Sikorsky installs the engines, transmissions and rotor systems. Two more S-76C+ aircraft have been delivered in the run up to Paris 2001 from Sikorsky's new completion centre partner, Keystone Helicopter. One of the helicopters went to a corporate customer in the US, with the other destined for Turkey.
Source: Flight Daily News
