After Portugal, Romania is now receiving its first S-70 helicopters for civilian missions, medical evacuations and especially fighting forest fires. Sikorsky is gaining market share on the continent.
The first S-70Ms were delivered by Lockheed Martin to the Romanian Ministry of Internal Affairs last November. These multi-purpose aircraft are equipped to carry out rescue missions on land and at sea, medical evacuations and also to fight forest fires. Eventually, 12 new aircraft will be delivered in the coming months. These aircraft, which have benefited from European funding, are built in Poland in Mielec at PZL.
For its part, Portugal has received its first UH-60s, taken from US Army surplus and renovated by the company Arista Aviation Services. These six helicopters replace the Kamov 32s used for forest fire missions until the supply of spare parts became impossible with the embargo decreed in retaliation for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The Sikorsky in their various versions benefit from a strong appeal on civil markets. As for civil protection missions, the aircraft does not lack assets with a carrying capacity, in internal or ventral hold or equipped with a “bambi bucket” of up to 3,800 liters. These versions are called Firehawk. This is how it entered service within Cal Fire but also other agencies and private operators in the USA where it brings its capabilities clearly superior to the UH-1 that it still sometimes replaces.
However, even within Cal Fire, the antique Bells are still resisting. Some voices mention complex and expensive maintenance, which negatively impacts the availability of these powerful but sometimes capricious machines.
