HOUSTON, Feb. 24 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. today
unveiled its X2 Technology(TM) Demonstrator at the George R. Brown Convention
Center at Heli-Expo 2008. Sikorsky Aircraft is a subsidiary of United
Technologies Corp. (NYSE: UTX)
(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20060403/SIKORSKYLOGO )
The X2 Technology Demonstrator is designed to demonstrate how a helicopter
can cruise comfortably at 250 knots, while retaining desirable helicopter
attributes, including excellent low speed handling, efficient hovering and
autorotation safety, and a seamless and simple transition to high speed.
"The X2 Technology Demonstrator is an integrated suite of technologies
intended to advance the state-of-the-art, counter-rotating coaxial rotor
helicopter. As we continue to work to prove out and mature the technologies
that will allow the X2 Technology Demonstrator to become a viable product, we
are focused on testing its limits and finding out where this technology will
take us," said Jeffrey P. Pino, Sikorsky President.
"This could be a 'game changer' in the industry. We are diligently
pursuing this as a research project. We are testing the limits and pioneering
this exciting innovation."
Among the innovative technologies the X2 Technology Demonstrator employs
are: -- Fly-by-wire flight controls
-- Counter-rotating rigid rotor blades
-- Hub drag reduction
-- Active vibration control
-- Integrated auxiliary propulsion system
Peter Grant, Sikorsky Senior Manager of Advanced Programs, noted that the
X2 Technology Demonstrator has continued to make progress toward first flight.
"Throughout 2007, the aircraft made excellent additional build and subsystem
test progress, re-entering vehicle ground testing in November 2007. Extensive
test instrumentation is also being installed as preparation for its first
flight," Grant said.
Sikorsky Aircraft first announced the initiative to develop an integrated
suite of technologies called X2 Technology in June 2005. The X2 Technology
Demonstrator is built as a rapid prototyping collaboration effort with
Sikorsky subsidiary Schweizer Aircraft. The project is solely funded by
Sikorsky Aircraft.
Learn more about X2 Technology(TM) by visiting Sikorsky Aircraft's newly
transformed company Web site at www.sikorsky.com.
Sikorsky Aircraft Corp., based in Stratford, Conn., is a world leader in
helicopter design, manufacture, and service. The company's long commitment to
safety and innovation is reflected in its mission statement: "We pioneer
flight solutions that bring people home everywhere...every time(TM)." United
Technologies Corp., based in Hartford, Conn., provides a broad range of high-
technology products and support services to the aerospace and building systems
industries.
SOURCE Sikorsky Aircraft Corp.
Paul Jackson, +1-860-614-3899 (Mobile), Paul.Jackson@sikorsky.com, or Marianne
Heffernan, +1-203-583-9760 (Mobile), mheffernan@sikorsky.com, both of Sikorsky
Aircraft Corp.
