US S-92 Chosen as Presidential Helicopter
US Sikorsky S-92 Selected as Presidential Helicopter
By Jung Sung-ki
Staff Reporter
The U.S. Sikorsky S-92 model has been selected to replace the VH-60 transport helicopter for the president, the Air Force said Friday.
An S-92 helicopter, made by U.S. Sikorsky Aircraft, is pictured in this file photo. Korea Times
Sikorsky, a U.S. aircraft firm, won the helicopter procurement contract over Agusta Westland, a consortium of the United Kingdom and Italy, which offered its EH-101 model, Shin Bo-hyun, deputy chief of staff of planning and management at the Air Force, said in a media briefing.
``The Air Force has conducted test trials since last November, and Sikorsky's S-92 had more points of comparison in terms of operational requirements and cost-efficiency,'' Shin said. Eight experts from the Air Force, the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Agency for Defense Development conducted the test trial.
Chong Wa Dae approved the plan earlier in the day, he said.
The presidential helicopter project was launched last year as the VH-60 has been used for 14 years, exceeding the operational period of 10 years, Shin said.
Under the contract, Sikorsky is expected to deliver three S-92s worth some $127 million (127 billion won) by 2007, Air Force officers said.
The 17-meter-long S-92 helicopter has a seating capacity of 18 and flies at the maximum speed of 165 knots (295 kilometers) per hour. It also can stay in the air for three hours, which are 40 minutes longer than the VH-60. The maximum cruising radius is 390 nautical meters (702 kilometers).
Three countries_ the United States, the United Kingdom and Norway _ are currently operating S-92s, and seven other countries have ordered 59 S-92s, according to the Air Force. Sikorsky plans to build some 700 S-92 helicopters by 2019.
