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

Verified

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 transform it into a state-of-the-art research, development, and testing facility for advanced aviation technologies.
The new center will focus on key PiAC projects, including the PA-890, designed to be the world's first zero-emission hydrogen fuel cell eVTOL helicopter, and the multi-use ARES tilt-ducted VTOL aircraft.
Expected to reopen this fall, the Coatesville facility aims to create approximately 400 jobs within five years, bolstering the region's leadership in cutting-edge vertical lift and unmanned aerial systems development.

See a mistake? Contact us.

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.