STRATFORD, Conn. (AP) -- Sikorsky Aircraft has won an Army contract to develop helicopter rotors that can withstand erosion caused by sand and rain in deserts in Iraq and elsewhere.
Sikorsky, a subsidiary of Hartford-based United Technologies Corp., announced Tuesday that the $11.4 million contract calls for the helicopter maker and United Technologies Research Center to design prototypes of main rotor blades and tail rotor blades. The contract extends to 2011.
The helicopter manufacturer is working on a design for rotor blades that can last 1,000 hours in the air in an environment of sand and rain. The rotor blades now operate for about 300 hours.
Sikorsky says the new rotor, which would be used for its Black Hawk and other helicopters, would cut down on high replacement rates due to erosion.
