U.S. Army's BLACK HAWK Helicopter Fleet Closing in on 1M Flight Hours in Iraq, Afghanistan

PARIS, June 16 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- PARIS AIR SHOW -- Sikorsky BLACK HAWK helicopters flown by the U.S. Army in the Iraq and Afghanistan theaters of war have accumulated more than 900,000 flight hours without a single material failure with the aircraft and are expected to break the 1 million fleet flight hour mark this fall, Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. reported today from the Paris Air Show. Sikorsky is a subsidiary of United Technologies Corp. (NYSE: UTX - News).
The U.S. Army currently operates more than 300 BLACK HAWK helicopters combined in these two Overseas Contingency Operations. BLACK HAWK helicopters have flown these missions since February 2003 and are maintaining an 84 percent mission capable readiness rate while operating in the extreme heat, wind, and sand conditions.
"This is the ultimate testament to the durability, reliability and effectiveness of the BLACK HAWK helicopter - to support and protect our soldiers in such withering and hostile environments, and to keep performing mission after mission and without any material failures," said Scott Starrett, President of Sikorsky Military Systems.
The U.S. Army's total BLACK HAWK helicopter fleet exceeds 1,740 aircraft and has amassed nearly 6 million flight hours.
Sikorsky Aircraft Corp., based in Stratford, Conn., USA, is a world leader in helicopter design, manufacture and service. United Technologies Corp., based in Hartford, Conn., USA, provides a broad range of high technology products and support services to the aerospace and building systems industries.