Sikorsky S-92

The Sikorsky H-92 Superhawk is a medium lift twin engine helicopter manufactured by the Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation. The H-92 is the military version of the Sikorsky S-92 helicopter and is an evolution of Sikorsky’s S-70 US Army Black Hawk and US Navy Seahawk helicopters. It is available in a 19-seat passenger commercial version, a 22 troop utility transport, and a number of mission-specific configurations including Search and Rescue and VIP transportation.

The S-92 took its maiden flight in December 1998 at the Sikorsky Development Flight Centre, West Palm Beach, Florida. FAA FAR part 29 certification was received in December 2002. European Aviation Safety Agency/Joint Aviation Authorities (EASA/JAA) certification was received in June 2004. The first S-92 was delivered to launch customer Petroleum Helicopters in September 2004.

Variants

The S-92 is available in a number of variants. The civil transport version has an airliner-type interior which comfortably seats 19 passengers in a 20ft long, 6ft high and 6ft 7in wide standup cabin. The utility transport version has 22 side-facing seats in a large, stand-up cabin with a full cabin width rear ramp. The 733ft³ interior cabin area can also be configured to accommodate up to three airline-style LD-3 cargo containers. Additional stowage space is available in the 140ft³ area located in the aft ramp compartment.

The H-92 Superhawk is the military variant which has been demonstrated to the US Air Force, Marine Corps and Coast Guard. The H-92 has more powerful GE CT7-8 C engines, rated at 2,300 kW (3,070shp). The search and rescue variant provides space for seats, litters, auxiliary fuel and SAR emergency equipment. The Superhawk was selected by Canada in July 2004 for the Maritime Helicopter Programme (MHP) as the CH-148 Cyclone. 28 helicopters are required.

Design

The civil S-92 has a metal and composite airframe. The four-bladed articulated composite main rotor blade is wider and has a longer radius than the S-70 Blackhawk. The tapered blade tip sweeps back and angles downward to reduce noise and increase lift. In response to requests for additional cabin space, Sikorsky has increased the cabin length of the final prototype by 41 cm, reduced the height of the tail pylon and relocated the horizontal stabiliser. Tethered hover flight has recorded 31,000 lb of lift generated, both in and out of hover effect.

A number of safety features such as flaw tolerance, bird strike capability and engine burst containment have been incorporated into the design. An active vibration system ensures comfortable flight and acoustic levels are well below certification requirements.

Users

Orders have been received for more than 100 helicopters, including:

Canadian Armed Forces – 28
CHC Helicopter of Canada – 8
Aircontactgruppen AS of Norway – 6
Petroleum Helicopters – 6
Washington Times Aviation – 5
Cougar Helicopters – 5
Irish Air Corps – 3 plus 2 options
Norsk Helikopter of Norway – 4
Era Aviation – 3
Government of the Republic of Korea – 3
Brunei Shell Petroleum – 3
Government of Turkmenistan – 2
Gulf Helicopters – 1
Government of Turkey – 1
Eastern General Aviation – 1
Copterline of Finland – 1
East Asia Airlines – 1
Helicopter Hong Kong – 1

Specifications (H-92)

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General characteristics

2005 Base price: $15,300,000
Crew: two pilots
Capacity: up to 22 troops
Fuselage length: 68 ft 6 in (20.88 m)
Main rotor diameter: 58 ft 1 in (17.71 m)
Height: 15 ft 5 in (4.70 m)
Main rotor area: 2,650 ft² (246 m²)
Empty: 15,965 lb (7,257 kg)
Loaded: 25,944 lb (11,793 kg)
Maximum takeoff: 28,241 lb (12,837 kg)
Powerplant: 2x General Electric CT7-8C turboshafts, 3,000 shp (2,238 kW) each

Performance

Maximum speed: 225 mph (360 km/h)
Range: 550 miles (880 km)
Service ceiling: ft ( m)
Rate of climb: ft/min ( m/min)
Main rotor loading: 9.8 lb/ft² (48 kg/m²)
Power/Mass: 0.23 hp/lb (0.38 kW/kg)