Helicopters - S-92A SAR in Alaska - Rotor&Wing

Search and Rescue S-92 Accepted Above Arctic Circle

S.L. Fuller

A Sikorsky helicopter is to make its way to the top of the Earth as North Slope Borough (NSB), Alaska, has accepted the state's first search and rescue (SAR) S-92. According to a company news release, the acceptance took place Thursday at Sikorsky's commercial helicopter center in Coatesville, Pennsylvania.

NSB is located above the Arctic Circle, where temperatures can get as low as -67 deg F. With tens of thousands of acres, including both land and water, SAR aircraft need to have long-range and all-weather capabilities. Eleven nations currently fly the S-92 for head of state missions, but the helicopter trumpets more than 91,000 SAR missions completed globally to date.

The dual-engine S-92 hit its 1 million flight hour milestone in May of this year, with its fleet of more than 275 helicopters.