Sikorsky Black Hawk choppers to be made in Poland

The PZL Aviation Company in Mielec is to become the production and assembly center for the American Black Hawk helicopter.
An agreement on this has just been signed by the Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation and Poland's Industrial Development Agency, the owner of PZL.

The PZL plant in Mielec is one of the most experienced aviation works in Poland. However, ruthless mechanisms of economic transformations and lack of profitable contracts have undermined its financial standings. Now, the ailing company could receive Sikorsky investments to the tune of several hundred million dollars, the exact sum not being publicly quoted, yet. The Black Hawk is probably the world's best-known military chopper. In Poland, Sikorsky would be producing the International version of the Black Hawk. Chairman Jeffrey Pino, who was present during the signing ceremony, said his corporation had been scanning production prospects in many countries for a long time, before it decided on the Mielec plant. The Polish producer was chosen because of two vital reasons, he emphasized.

'First, the absolute quality and dedication of the workforce in Mielec. And second, an environment created by the (Polish) government to allow this kind of strategic investment to be successful.'

Edward Nowak, Board Member of the Industrial Development Agency said, on his part that the negotiations had been complicated, but crowned with success. He pointed that finalizing the contract would be tantamount to creating an additional one thousand jobs in PZL Mielec and simultaneously introducing some of the worlds most modern aviation technology to Poland.

' Thanks to this technology there will be a place in Mielec for highly qualified engineers and IT specialists. We're building a new center based on intellectual potential and know how.'

Plans outlined in the deal speak of Poland's Mielec becoming a European production center of several hundred International Black Hawk machines annually and also a servicing center for the Sikorsky airfleet in Germany, the UK, Spain, Portugal, Switzerland and Italy.

But there is more to the Sikorsky-PZL deal than just immediate gains. The American manufacturer is eyeing the tender to be announced by the MOD for some 150 helicopters for the Polish army. Together with other orders from, for instance, the Health Ministry for rescue type units, the total order is speculated at around 4 billion dollars worth. Sikorsky's presence in Poland would certainly give it an edge over other foreign competitors, says Wojciech Luczak from the RAPORT military magazine.

'Of course, this is something like a bridgehead for Sikorsky to operate in Central Europe, not only in Poland for the tender of the International Black Hawk. This is a downgraded, low cost version of the helicopter which is offered for the US army right now.'

It is expected the first components for assembly of the International Black Hawk are to arrive in PZL Mielec in 2008, while full production capabilities will be attained two years later.

And to dispel any allegations ...... there is absolutely NO business connection nor family ties between the Sikorsky Corporation and Poland's Minister of Defense Radoslaw...... Sikorski!
Source:By Sławek Szefs polskieradio.pl,