Schweizer RSG, a newly formed company affiliated with Rotorcraft Services Group in Fort Worth, Texas, plans to restart production of the Schweizer 300 by the end of the year after purchasing the product line from Sikorsky.
Sikorsky’s exit from the light helicopter market brings some clarity after years of ambiguity surrounding the S-300’s fate following Sikorsky’s purchase of Schweizer in 2004. The model will be produced under license by AVIC in China to support that country’s growing demand for trainers. The sale also gives hope for improved parts availability to the owners of the estimated 2,900 Schweizer S-300 series helicopters flying around the world.
Sikorsky, now a subsidiary of Lockheed Martin, will focus on its two main product lines in the civilian market — the S-76 and S-92.
The transaction closed on January 24, and was announced the following day to Sikorsky’s employees, customers, and suppliers. The manufacturer said the sale will have “no impact” on its commercial workforce or the facility in Coatesville, Pennsylvania, where the S-300 production line was based.
Sikorsky purchased the type, originally known as the Hughes 300, through its acquisition of Schweizer Aircraft Corp., and soon rebranded it the Sikorsky S-300. The light trainers future appeared bright for a while, but Sikorsky closed the original Schweizer factory in Elmira, New York, in 2010, throwing the fate of the model into question.
The president of Schweizer RSG is David Horton, who served as the president and general manager of Schweizer Aircraft from 2008 to 2010. The company plans to provide a further update on the S-300’s future at the upcoming Heli-Expo show in Las Vegas February 27-March 1.
