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, to establish a new state-of-the-art research, development, and testing facility.
The new facility will primarily focus on advanced vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft, including the production and testing of PiAC’s PA-890, slated to be the world's first zero-emission hydrogen fuel cell eVTOL helicopter.
Slated to reopen this fall, the center is expected to create around 400 jobs within five years, contributing to the Delaware Valley's legacy in the aviation industry and supporting other projects like the ARES multi-use VTOL aircraft.

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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.