Longtime Rotorcraft and UAV Developer Acquires Former Sikorsky Plant

Pennsylvania facility to reopen as VTOL, UAS research and development center in the fall.

Wednesday, May 31, 2023 at 02:30 PM ET

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A digital rendering of Piasecki’s PA-890 hydrogen fuel cell eVTOL helicopter, expected to begin test flights this year. [Courtesy: Piasecki Aircraft Corp.]

Key Takeaways:

Piasecki Aircraft Corp. (PiAC) has acquired a former Sikorsky manufacturing plant in Coatesville, Pennsylvania.
PiAC plans to convert the 219,000-square-foot facility into a state-of-the-art research, development, and testing site for vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft and unmanned aerial systems (UAS).
A primary focus for the new facility will be the production and testing of the PA-890, intended to be the world's first zero-emission hydrogen fuel cell rotorcraft.
The Coatesville facility is expected to reopen this fall, creating approximately 400 new jobs within five years, supported by state and local government.

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In the 1940s, Russian-born engineer Igor Sikorsky designed the R-4, the first large-scale, mass-produced helicopter in history. Shortly after Sikorsky became the first American to successfully fly a helicopter of his own design, Frank Piasecki became the second, flying his PV-2 in 1943.

Today, both men’s legacies live on: The former’s Sikorsky Aircraft is now the vertical lift subsidiary of Lockheed Martin, while the latter’s Piasecki Aircraft Corp. (PiAC) continues to manufacture rotorcraft and vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft.