Boeing-Sikorsky team to build future Army copter
Years before we know if this adds jobs at Ridley Park
A joint team at Boeing and United Technologies Corp.'s Sikorsky Aircraft has been picked by the U.S. Army to build a sample new SB-1 Defiant Joint Multi-Role (JMR) demonstration helicopter -- for possible Navy use as well -- to be ready for testing in 2017. Statement here.
Both companies make helicopters in the Philadelphia area, but it will be years, if ever, before these Army ships add jobs here. Boeing has made Black Hawk, Apache and Chinook helicopters among others for the U.S. military and employs more than 4,000 at its Ridley Park works. Sikorsky employs hundreds at its Coatesville facility, but that's mostly for civilian aircraft.
The team the Army tapped to build what may end up being one of a few rival Defiant models is based at Sikorsky's Connecticut works, Alison Sheridan, a Boeing spokeswoman in St. Louis, told me. "We will be building one helicopter. It's intended to fly higher, hotter, faster." The ship will be more conceptual, "shaping requirements for future acquisitions," than operational. Will parts eventually be built in Ridley? "It's way too far down the road to speculate. It may not fly until the 2030s." Still, "it's a good news story for the team. It reinforces our commitment to helping the Army develop these guidelines," instead of waiting to bang it all out in production.