Longstanding Experience With SAR and Emergency Management Missions
Celebrating the company’s 100th anniversary, Sikorsky executives at LAAD 2023 in Rio de Janeiro on 12 April also highlighted their longstanding partnership with Brazil’s armed forces, emphasising their ongoing accomplishments. “Our founder, Igor Sikorsky, envisioned the helicopter becoming a powerful tool for saving lives and performing missions in the direst and most complex conditions. Our customers’ missions—especially here in Brazil and throughout Latin America—are a testament to that vision, and motivate us to continue innovating and improving our aircraft and how we build them,” stated the company’s Regional Executive for Latin America, Adam Schierholz.
He highlighted Sikorsky’s almost 70-year relationship with Brazil, dating from 1958, when the Air Force acquired four H-19D Chickasaw helicopters for search and rescue operations. In 1972, following a fire that engulfed a 26-story building in Sao Paulo, Igor Sikorsky wrote his last correspondence commending the rescue operation that involved 20 helicopters saving the lives of 400 people, confirming his vision for the helicopter as an “outstanding vehicle for the greatest variety of life-saving missions.” That bond continues to this day with the Brazilian Army and Air Force’s fleet of UH-60L/M Black Hawks and the Navy’s operation of S-70B Seahawks. “The multi-mission Hawk family of aircraft provides the Brazilian armed forces with critical capabilities that will continue to support their readiness, interoperability and security for decades to come,” said Schierholz.
Together with Felipe Benvegnu, Sikorsky Global Aftermarket Director, Schierholz presented plaques to representatives from Brazil’s Army, Air Force and Navy to honour each service’s aerial achievements while operating Sikorsky aircraft. Highlights among these include:
- Army Aviation – 25 years of Black Hawk operations;
- Air Force – achieving 50,000 flight hour with its UH-60L fleet;
- Navy – reached the 10,000 flight hour milestone with its S-70B Seahawk fleet.
“All of these aircraft have been an important part of search, rescue and relief missions, including the recent humanitarian operations supporting the Yanomami people in January,” said Benvegnu. “We are absolutely honoured to support the courageous work of the Brazilian Army, Air Force and Navy, and we are thrilled to be here at LAAD to mark this occasion alongside such distinguished operators.”
Santiago Rivas reporting from LAAD2023 for MON
