NewHavenBIZ

n e w h a v e n b i z . c o m | F e b r u a r y 2 0 2 3 | n e w h a v e n B I Z 15 NMLS #402928 When you partner with Chelsea Groton, you get the loan * AND customized support! *Subject to credit approval. chelseagroton.com/growthatbusiness or call 860-448-4295 Black Hawk is also being adapted to a range of new uses including firefight- ing, maritime military use and search and rescue. e outlook for the company's CH- 53K King Stallion heavy-li chopper is also promising, with the Marine Corps awarding Lockheed Martin a contract to build nine more CH-53Ks last year, to be built in Stratford and delivered starting in 2025. e Israeli military has also contract- ed for four CH-53K helicopters under a U.S. Navy foreign military sales agree- ment, with each costing $90 million to $100 million apiece. Sikorsky has also developed a prototype on its own for the Army's Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircra program, a contract due to be award- ed in 2024-25. Sikorsky's Raider X is considered a strong contender for the contract, especially considering its recent loss of the Future Long Range Air Assault bid. Mixed views Even so, some national analysts are less upbeat: "It is no exaggeration to say that much of the domestic rotorcra industry is at risk in the aermath of the Army's December award," aerospace expert Loren ompson wrote in an article for Forbes. Both Sikorsky and Boeing are at risk of major job cuts, and Boeing could exit the helicopter sector entirely, he added. Military customers are increasingly looking to unmanned and autonomous cra like drones for warfighting, which threatens the helicopter business as a whole, analyst Byron Callan of Capital Alpha Partners told investors in a letter quoted in Defense.info. e contract award being appealed by Sikorsky and Boeing will likely come up far short of a 1-to-1 replacement of existing aircra, he added. Ray Jaworowski, a senior aerospace analyst at Newtown's Forecast International, countered that Sikorsky has strong prospects for the future due to both its legacy business and new technology. "ere's no question that, should the protest not be upheld, the loss of the (Future Long Range Air Assault) contract will be a big disappointment for Sikorsky," Jaworowski said. "However, the ramifications should not be overstated." e company's ongoing Army contracts, the export market for the Black Hawk and the "upgrade, modification and sustainment work on the large number of existing Black Hawks around the globe will help keep the company busy," he said. And even though it wasn't chosen by the Army, the Stratford firm's prototype for the Future Long Range Air Assault program will likely result in new products, Jaworowski said. "Sikorsky can be expected to leverage technology from the Defiant X as well as from its X2 technology effort into new rotorcra models or even upgrades and enhancements for existing models," he said. Defiant X technology could also be used to bid for business in Europe: France, Germany, Greece, Italy and the U.K. have launched an initiative under the auspices of NATO for a next-generation rotorcra to replace existing fleets starting in the 2030s. "Sikorsky will continue to be one of the major players in the military rotorcra market, but it will have a reoriented product line concentrated on a refocused mix of designs and mission areas," Jaworowski said. e recent turbulence around Sikorsky's failed bid didn't seem to dampen enthusiasm for the company by employees at the Black Hawk event. Sharmee Walton, a senior manager at the company, spoke of her family's history with Sikorsky, starting with her grandfather who was hired in 1981. "My daughter recently completed basic training to join the Air National Guard based here in Connecticut, and I look forward to the day when she will have the opportunity to pursue her dream with Sikorsky," Walton said. n Sikorsky President Paul Lemmo. A Sikorsky Black Hawk helicopter on the company's Stratford shop floor.

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