S-76D come to India! Pawan Hans leases six helicopters for its operations

Pawan Hans Limited (PHL), a PSU under Ministry of Civil Aviation, on Thursday announced on the sidelines of the ongoing Wings India in Hyderabad its decision to lease six Sikorsky S-76D helicopters. S-76D helicopters, pawan hans limited, Ministry of Civil Aviation, indian PSU, Milestone Aviation Group Limited,

Besides the helicopters, the Indian PSU is also getting comprehensive value and sustainment packages to support the phasing-in of this new helicopter type into its fleet from Milestone Aviation Group Limited and US based Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin company. So far out of the five helicopters leased by Pawan Hans Limited, five have already been delivered by the US based company.

According to an official announcement, the Milestone Aviation Group Limited (“Milestone”), is the global leader in helicopter leasing. And the helicopters that have been leased will help the Indian company in its onshore and offshore operations. It will also operate two S-76D helicopters for the Government of India’s Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC).

The S-76 helicopter is already operating in more than 40 countries across the globe on six continents, and has been successfully fulfilling its many missions in varied environmental conditions.

Since 1977, Sikorsky of the US based Lockheed Martin Company has delivered more than 875 S-76 helicopters to customers globally and has contributed on a daily basis more than more than 7.5 million flight hours.

More about S-76D helicopter

This helicopter is designed to provide substantial increase not only in performance but in power and value. This is possible through its application of modern technologies.

On the leasing of the S-76D, Sanjeev Razdan, Chairman and Managing Director of Pawan Hans said, “To support our offshore operations in South Asia, in the medium twin category, the S-76D is the ideal aircraft.”

Adding, “This helicopter has been launched with a completely new maintenance and support philosophy by Pawan Hans. And agreements are in place with several OEMs, and with the introduction of the technologically advanced S-76D helicopter, Pawan Hans is playing a pivotal role in bringing next-generation helicopter operations to the Indian market.”

According to Michael York, Head of Emerging Markets at Milestone the S-76D is a new helicopter platform type for Pawan Hans. This will enhance their operations with greater capabilities and advanced technologies.

Through this transaction, according to him, the company is not only cultivating a new operator for the S-76D but has also started a long-term relationship between Milestone and Pawan Hans.

Expressing his excitement over the introduction of S-76D aircraft in the Indian market by Pawan Hans, Bill Blair, Chief Executive Lockheed Martin India, said, the selection of these advanced helicopters will ensure high availability rates for customers.

For the customers who demand reliability and performance, Sikorsky’s support services will ensure high availability rates and align with Lockheed Martin’s focus on such an important region.