COATESVILLE, Pa., June 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The South Korea Coast Guard has accepted delivery of its second S-92® helicopter for search and rescue following a ceremony today. Sikorsky is a Lockheed Martin company (NYSE: LMT).
The South Korea Coast Guard has operated a single S-92 helicopter since March 2014. To date, that aircraft has flown more than 850 flight hours, saving more than 30 lives flying search and rescue and emergency medical transport missions.
Most recently, on June 2, a 50-year old man was rescued from a ship by the Korea Coast Guard's S-92 helicopter. A dispatched crew responded to the distress call, reached the victim, and safely transported him to a hospital for care in just 30 minutes. The victim is recovering.
"The safety and performance of our current S-92 aircraft has truly provided reliability when it comes to the time-sensitive mission of saving lives," said the South Korea Coast Guard's Senior Superintendent and Factory Acceptance Test Inspection Team Lead, Kim Youngmo. "We look forward to putting this new aircraft into operations to continue performing our mission."
"We are honored by your trust in Sikorsky and in our S-92 helicopter when performing these critical missions," said Audrey Brady, general manager, Sikorsky Coatesville Operations. "We look forward to continuing our relationship and, as always, we are committed to providing world class support to your fleet."
Following the aircraft's shipment to South Korea, aircrews will conduct training in-country. The aircraft is expected to enter service by year-end.
Since 2004, Sikorsky has delivered more than 275 S-92 helicopters, predominantly to operators serving the worldwide offshore oil and gas industry, and for civil search and rescue operations. Eleven nations fly the S-92 helicopter for their head of state missions. In May 2014, Sikorsky was selected to build the next U.S. Presidential Helicopter Fleet, the world's most advanced executive transport helicopter, using the S-92 platform.
To learn more about the South Korea Coast Guard's work with the S-92 helicopter see: Sikorsky Celebrates Two South Korean Coast Guard Crews with Winged-S Rescue Awards