COATESVILLE, Pa., Dec. 13, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Sikorsky, a
Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) Company, delivered two S-70i™ Black
Hawk helicopters to the County of Los
Angeles at a ceremony in Coatesville, Pennsylvania. The S-70i Black
Hawk helicopters will be customized to a Firehawk™ configuration to
meet L.A. County Fire Department's specifications and further
protect lives and property 24/7.
A Firehawk helicopter performs aerial firefighting and
additionally, can plan missions and direct other firefighting
aircraft, and provide emergency medical service transport, search
and rescue, and logistic support. Once modified by a specialist
outfitter in 2018 with a 1,000-gallon (3,785-liter) water tank,
extended landing gear, single pilot cockpit layout and a
medically-equipped interior, the new aircraft will increase to five
the L.A. County Fire Department's fleet of Firehawk multi-role
helicopters.
Compared to LA County's three existing S-70A model Firehawk
aircraft, the S-70i variant includes wide chord rotor blades for
increased payload and maneuverability, enhanced engine power, a
stronger airframe, a digital cockpit with flight management system
for enhanced situation awareness, and an Integrated Vehicle Health
Management System to monitor the aircraft's operational
health. Among improved safety features, the S-70i aircraft
includes a terrain and obstacle avoidance system that alerts
aircrew to the proximity of potential hazards on the ground.
"We are very happy to take delivery of these two new Firehawk
aircraft," said Thomas Ewald, deputy
fire chief of L.A. County's Fire Department's Air and Wildland
Division. "With the recent catastrophic wildland fires in L.A. and
the Southern California region,
the need for additional effective firefighting resources, such as
the S-70i Firehawk, is readily apparent. These two additional
aircraft will enhance our existing fleet and strengthen both our
day and night aerial firefighting capability, ultimately improving
our ability to protect the lives and property of our citizens."
"The Firehawk helicopter is born from an S-70i Black Hawk
because of its proven and robust military design, which enables it
to endure the enormous physical stresses required to drop 1,000
gallons of water multiple times a day on the fire line," said
Dan Schultz, president of Sikorsky.
"The advanced Firehawk platform is a third generation Black Hawk
with increased engine power, speed, maneuverability, higher
altitude operations and improved mission availability. We stand
behind L.A. County and will continue to support them during their
critical missions, ensuring they continue to save untold lives and
properties with our Sikorsky products."
Sikorsky supports the critical mission of the L.A. Country fire
department with an all new airframe of the S-70i Black Hawk
aircraft, which are available direct from Sikorsky in the U.S.
Customers can order aircraft with mission sets and features
customized to specific preferences. The L.A. County Fire Department
was the first municipal organization to purchase the Firehawk in
December 2000.
About Lockheed Martin
Headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, Lockheed Martin is a
global security and aerospace company that employs approximately
97,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research,
design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of
advanced technology systems, products and services.
Black Hawk is a registered trademark of Sikorsky, a Lockheed
Martin Company trademark.
For additional information about Firehawk,
visit:
http://www.lockheedmartin.com/firehawk
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SOURCE Lockheed Martin