Founded

1925

Headquarters

Stratford, Connecticut

Key People

Dan Schultz (President)

Number of Employees

15,000

Phone Number

203-386-4000

Website

Sikorsky

Sikorsky

Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin company, is a global aerospace manufacturer specializing in both civil and military rotorcraft. Founded in 1923 by Ukrainian immigrant Igor Sikorsky, his namesake company became a pioneering force in rotorcraft development over the subsequent decades, a position it still holds today.

Initially known as the Sikorsky Aero Engineering Corporation, the company changed its name to the Sikorsky Manufacturing Company before becoming a subsidiary of the United Aircraft and Transport Corporation in 1929. That company eventually became United Technologies Corporation (UTC).

Before delving into the realm of rotorcraft, Sikorsky focused on multi-engined land and amphibious aircraft such as the S-42 Clipper. With low sales and little success in the segment, United Technologies merged Sikorsky with Vought Aircraft, and the development of the world's first production helicopter began.

In partnership with Vought, Sikorsky designed and flew the first single lifting-rotor helicopter prototype in May 1943, the Vought-Sikorsky VS-300. With lessons learned from the development of the VS-300, Sikorsky would eventually design and mass-manufacture the world's first production helicopter, the R-4.

In the subsequent decades, Sikorsky has positioned itself as one of the world's leading providers of military rotorcraft. Platforms such as the S-61, S-64 Skycrane, and S-65 (the original CH-53 Sea Stallion) set the development tone for what would become the ubiquitous S-70 (better known as the Black Hawk) and S-76, the latter serving as Sikorsky's premier civil rotorcraft offering since 1977. Sikorsky's other dedicated civilian rotorcraft, the S-92, was awarded the U.S. Navy contract to serve as the replacement "Marine One" Presidential helicopter in 2014.

Sikorsky remained a subsidiary of UTC until 2015 when Lockheed Martin agreed to acquire the entity at a cost of roughly $9 billion. The company is currently developing solutions for the U.S. Army's Future Vertical Lift (FVL) program, expecting to enter the compound-rotor Sikorsky SB>1 Defiant and S-97 Raider as candidates for consideration in the Future Long-Range Attack and Assault (FLRAA) and Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft (FARA) programs, respectively.

Sikorsky employs roughly 15,000 people worldwide and is headquartered in Stratford, Connecticut.