STRATFORD, Conn., Feb. 23, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Sikorsky, a
Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) company and its affiliate PZL Mielec
are finalizing an M28 short takeoff and landing airplane for its
transatlantic flight from southeast Poland to Latin
America and the Caribbean.
Once in the region, the 7,500 kg (16,500 lb.) twin turboprop
airplane will demonstrate to interested militaries and commercial
transport its ability to move people and cargo into short, unpaved
or underdeveloped airstrips. The tour begins in Port of Spain, Trinidad & Tobago on
March 17, 2017 before visiting 12
other cities through mid-May across Brazil, Argentina, Ecuador, Colombia, Panama and Mexico.
Engineers at PZL Mielec have given the newly built airplane —
serial number AJE00347 — its final coat of paint, and the necessary
equipment that will showcase the plane's quick conversion to
passenger configuration, paratroop, cargo transport or casualty
evacuation.
PZL pilots and aircrew will fly the aircraft from Mielec,
Poland, on February 24 to Denmark, then begin the maritime leg to
Scotland and Iceland. The aircraft arrives in Kulusuk,
Greenland on February 28 after 2,164 nm and approximately 10
hours of transatlantic flying.
"The westward transatlantic crossing in mid-winter is just one
example of extreme weather flying for this rugged and reliable M28
airplane," said Mariusz Kubryn, M28
chief designer. "By the end of the demonstration tour in
Latin America this spring, the
aircraft will have flown 14,500 km over mountain ranges and oceans,
taken off and landed on jungle and island airstrips, and shown its
ability to perform under hot and icing conditions."
The M28 aircraft is certified by Brazil's ANAC, and by EASA and the FAA to
perform in minus 50°C to 50°C temperatures. The airframe's ice
protection system is certified for flight into known icing
conditions.
A high-lift wing, two 1,100 shp
(820 kW) Pratt & Whitney Canada
PT6-65B turboprop engines, and thrust-reversing propellers give the
airplane unique short takeoff and landing capabilities. With a
maximum payload of 2,300 kg (5,000 lb), the M28 can take off and
land on rough airstrips just 548 meters (1,800 ft.) long.
"When you combine the maneuverability of the M28 with its large
cabin and clamshell rear doors, this airplane has the power and
payload to fly very different mission profiles," noted Adam Schierholz, Sikorsky's regional executive
for Latin America. "Militaries and
commercial airlines across Latin
America and the Caribbean
have expressed tremendous interest in the diverse and unique
capabilities of this exceptional airplane."
To learn more about the M28 aircraft and the Caribbean and Latin
America tour, please link to www.m28aircraft.com.
About Lockheed Martin
Headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, Lockheed Martin is a
global security and aerospace company that employs approximately
97,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research,
design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of
advanced technology systems, products and services.
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SOURCE Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation