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Piasecki Develops Hydrogen Helo at Sikorsky Factory

  

Piasecki Aircraft Corporation (PiAC) is acquiring Lockheed Martin’s Sikorsky Heliplex facility in Coatesville, Pennsylvania, to establish a research and development hub for VTOL aircraft and uncrewed aerial systems. The 219,000-sq-ft site previously served as the production and delivery center for Sikorsky’s S-76 and S-92 helicopters.

PiAC plans to base its PA-890 hydrogen-powered helicopter program in Coatesville. The company aims to fly a technology demonstrator of the slowed-rotor winged helicopter by the end of this year as it works toward FAA certification in 2028.

The PA-890 is expected to be used for applications including emergency medical flights, logistics, and passenger transportation. In the military market, privately owned PiAC is also working on the Aerial Reconfigurable Embedded System tilt-duct optionally crewed VTOL vehicle and its Adaptive Digital Automated Pilotage Technology flight control system for new and existing rotorcraft.

Lockheed Martin closed the Sikorsky Heliplex in 2022, causing the loss of hundreds of jobs. PiAC, which has not disclosed how much it paid for the site, expects to reopen it in the fall and to hire around 400 workers there by 2028.

The PA-890 aircraft is expected to be able to carry a pilot and up to seven passengers on trips of over 200 nm. Its maximum payload is 1,660 pounds and mtow is 7,000 pounds.