Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. has signed agreements with the Turkish Government and key Turkish aerospace contractors that licence Turkey’s aerospace industry to manufacture 109 T-70 helicopters (Turkish variants of Sikorsky’s S-70i International Black Hawk helicopter) for operation by the Turkish Government, and to assemble 109 S-70i helicopters for Sikorsky.

The agreements licence the transfer of certain manufacturing technology to Turkish industry, and provide for the potential to produce up to a total of 600 aircraft, including both T-70 units for Turkish indigenous use and S-70i aircraft for export over the next 30 years. The agreements are subject to requisite export approvals.

“This programme is unprecedented in Sikorsky’s 90-year history,” said Sikorsky President Mick Maurer. “We have signed contracts that collectively will raise our already strong supplier and customer relationships in Turkey to levels that we expect will endure for decades. We are very pleased that these agreements also will potentially open additional markets for the world’s leading utility military helicopter while strengthening Turkish industry’s position as a world-class aerospace provider.”