Sikorsky Delivers Its First Two S-92® Helicopters for Utility Operations in Afghanistan

January 31, 2011
COATESVILLE, Connecticut - Sikorsky Aircraft Corp., a subsidiary of United Technologies Corp. (NYSE: UTX), has delivered two S-92® helicopters to airlift services provider AAR CORP., for operations in Afghanistan. AAR will perform passenger and cargo lift missions on behalf of the United States Transportation Command (USTRANSCOM), a government agency that provides transportation for the Department of Defense.

Both aircraft are certified by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to simultaneously carry both passengers and cargo in the same cabin space.

“Deployment to Afghanistan is a tremendous opportunity for AAR and the U.S. Government to see what the multi-mission S-92 aircraft is capable of in some very challenging flight conditions at high altitude,” said Ed Beyer, vice president for Sikorsky Global Helicopters. “The unique interior configuration of these two aircraft also will give AAR greater mission flexibility to perform its utility and transport missions.”

The FAA certified an easily configurable interior with variable seating while carrying up to three 4 ft. sq.-sized cargo pallets secured to rings in the seat tracks and cabin walls to assure crashworthiness. For each pallet, Sikorsky developed a special fire containment cover to contain and suffocate flames, and added smoke detectors. To separate the passengers from cargo, Sikorsky designed a fabric partition, and added a fire extinguisher and Protective Breathing Equipment for passengers and crew.

AAR purchased the two S-92 aircraft following an October 2010 USTRANSCOM contract award valued at $450 million to provide up to five years of airlift service in Afghanistan. Both aircraft are expected to begin operations in Afghanistan during February 2011. AAR already operates 15 Sikorsky S-61N aircraft in various mission roles, including Afghanistan.

“We evaluated a number of alternatives before concluding that the Sikorsky S-92 helicopter was the best choice to meet the arduous demands of supporting tactical lift missions in remote and extremely harsh environments,” said Jeff Schloesser, president of AAR’s Airlift Group during an acceptance ceremony at Sikorsky Global Helicopter’s facility in Coatesville, Pa., where the aircraft are manufactured. “The selection came down to choosing the aircraft that best fulfills the requirements and enables us to offer reliability, responsiveness and the best long-term business case for the military.”

Sikorsky has delivered 129 S-92 helicopters since September 2004 to commercial customers in the oil and gas industry, search and rescue, VIP transport and utility sectors. During those six years, the worldwide S-92 aircraft fleet has accumulated 285,000 flight hours, a record for a commercial fleet of Sikorsky helicopters in a similar timeframe.

A military version of the S-92 airframe ─ the CH148 helicopter equipped for naval operations ─ is being designed and produced for the Canadian Government. Additionally, Sikorsky and Lockheed Martin have proposed a variant to the U.S. Navy for the next ‘Marine One’ helicopter fleet to transport the president of the United States. The standard S-92 aircraft includes a spacious cockpit with excellent exterior visibility, a stand-up cabin for up to 19 passengers, modern avionics with large NVG-compatible displays, a crashworthy fuel system separated from the passenger compartment, and a rear ramp for loading passengers or cargo.

The S-92 was certified to FAA/EASA harmonized Part 29 requirements, as amended through Amendment 47. The S-92 remains the only aircraft to have been certified to this rigorous airworthiness standard without exception or waiver.

Sikorsky Aircraft Corp., based in Stratford, Conn., is a world leader in helicopter design, manufacture, and service. United Technologies Corp., based in Hartford, Conn., provides a broad range of high technology products and support services to the aerospace and building systems industries.


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Press releases of Airbus and Boeing about subsidies received by Boeing

Airbus: WTO RULING: BILLIONS IN BOEING SUBSIDIES DISTORT COMPETITION
Today’s World Trade Oganisation (WTO) decision confirms that Boeing has received massive and illegal government subsidies for many decades, and that they have had a significant and ongoing negative effect on European industry.

The final WTO-report to be publicly released in a few weeks can be expected to say:
1. Boeing would not have been able to launch the 787 without illegal subsidies.
2. Boeing has received at least $5 billion of US taxpayer dollars which has been determined illegal. Quantification of the additional subsides beyond this figure will take place in later stages of this dispute if Boeing chooses to pursue it.
3. An additional more than $2 billion in state and local subsidies that Boeing will receive in the future are illegal.
4. The effect of the subsidies is significantly larger than the face value of the subsidies in light of their particularly pervasive nature.
5. The pervasive subsidies have thoroughly distorted competition within the aviation industry, directly resulting in significant harm to the European aerospace industry.
6. The effect of these subsidies will continue in the future, putting Airbus at a significant disadvantage.

In concluding that Department of Defense (DoD) and NASA funding are illegal subsidies, the WTO decision will require fundamental changes to the US funding mechanisms.

The WTO decision will also confirm that Washington State and the City of Everett must stop subsidising Boeing. Unless stopped, these subsidies will increase annually through 2024.
The WTO can be expected to say that the billions in subsidies benefiting Boeing have a significantly greater distortive effect than the Reimbursable Loans to Airbus. Airbus estimates at least $45 billion as a realistic figure based on identified lost sales to Airbus as a result from the subsidies. Taking the cases together, the WTO will be seen to now have specifically green-lighted the continued use of loans in Europe and commanded Boeing to end its illegal R&D cash support from NASA, DoD and the US taxpayers.

“Airbus applauds the excellent result achieved by the European Commission and the Member States. From today, Boeing can no longer pretend that it doesn’t benefit from generous and illegal state subsidies. It has been doing so from the start and it’s time to stop the denial,” said Rainer Ohler, Airbus’ Head of Public Affairs and Communications. “We expect the WTO dispute to carry on for several more years and as in all trade conflicts, a resolution will only be reached through negotiations. The myth that Boeing doesn’t receive government aid is over and we hope this sets the tone for balanced and productive negotiations going forward.”

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Boeing Response to Public Reports Regarding the WTO's Final Ruling in DS 353

CHICAGO, Jan. 31, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Boeing (NYSE: BA) today released the following statement, responding to public reports that the WTO panel deciding European Union claims of U.S. government assistance to Boeing has issued a confidential final ruling rejecting the vast majority of Europe's claims:

"Today's reports confirm the interim news from last September that the WTO rejected almost all of Europe's claims against the United States, including the vast majority of its R&D claims – except for some $2.6 billion. This represents a sweeping rejection of the EU's claims.
"Nothing in today's reports even begins to compare to the $20 billion in illegal subsidies that the WTO found last June that Airbus/EADS has received (comprised of $15 billion in launch aid, $2.2 billion in equity infusions, $1.7 billion in infrastructure, and roughly $1.5 billion in R&D support).

"The WTO's decisions confirm that European launch aid stands alone as a massive illegal subsidy only available to Airbus, which has seriously harmed Boeing, distorted competition in the aerospace industry for decades, and resulted in the loss of tens of thousands of good-paying U.S. jobs.

"Today's decision will not require any change in policy or practice, or other remedy that comes close to approaching the billions of dollars of launch aid that must be repaid by Airbus or restructured on proven commercial terms. As a result of the June WTO ruling, EU governments and Airbus/EADS must repay or restructure $4 billion in still outstanding illegal launch aid subsidies Airbus received to develop the A380. They must also remedy the adverse effects of the additional $16 billion in other illegal subsidies Airbus received.

"Under the WTO's decisions, Airbus must now compete in the global marketplace without the massive illegal subsidies it has received since its inception and without which, the WTO held, Airbus would be 'a much different, and we believe a much weaker' company than it is today. It will be required to finance airplanes the same way Boeing does – with its own money. Having recently announced it has more than $13 billion dollars of cash on hand, Airbus should have no problem with this new requirement.

"Today's ruling underscores our confidence in the WTO processes and dispute-resolution procedures. We applaud the body for its work and continue to look to Airbus/EADS and the EU to recognize that in today's global market, everyone must play by the rules and abide by WTO requirements. Playing by the rules, for Airbus/EADS, means withdrawing the still-outstanding A380 prohibited launch aid subsidy and financing the A350 on commercial terms. Airbus should confirm its intention to comply with the WTO's decisions."

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