This article is published in Aviation Week & Space Technology and is free to read until Apr 18, 2026. If you want to read more articles from this publication, please click the link to subscribe.
After a long hiatus in orders for the S-92, Sikorsky wants to prove the aircraft can retain its workhorse status.
Airbus and Sikorsky are positioning their heavy commercial helicopters for a return to the offshore market as the industry recognizes a growing need for longer-range capability to support deepwater energy operations.
In recent years, both manufacturers and operators have shifted toward a new generation of twin-engine “super-medium” helicopters like the Airbus H175 and Leonardo AW189. While these super-mediums can carry up to 16 passengers, they lack the range required for longer offshore routes without sacrificing payload.
- Sikorsky S-92 production is ramping up to 12 aircraft per year
- S-92 final assembly moved to Owego, New York
- Shell approves the H225 is approved for offshore operations
- Offshore routes in Brazil and Canada require heavy rotorcraft
Some missions in Brazil and Canada require a radius of action exceeding 200 nm, often necessitating heavier aircraft. With energy prices rising again—not least due to tensions involving Iran—Airbus and Sikorsky say opportunities are emerging to secure orders for their H225 and S-92 twin-engine heavy rotorcraft, respectively.
Although hundreds of S-92s remain in offshore service globally, particularly in Norway, no new offshore orders for the aircraft have been placed since around 2016, when Thai Aviation Services ordered two. The last delivery of an offshore aircraft came in May 2020. However, Sikorsky is ramping up production to as many as 12 aircraft per year from just a handful and shifting final assembly to Owego, New York, from West Palm Beach, Florida.
That increase reflects renewed demand for head-of-state and VIP aircraft, but Sikorsky is also optimistic about securing new offshore orders.
To shorten delivery timelines, the company is building three baseline “white-tail” aircraft that could be quickly configured for customers.
“Back in 2020, there were 40 S-92s in storage, and now there are zero,” Leon Silva, Sikorsky’s vice president for global commercial and military systems, told journalists at Verticon in Atlanta on March 10. “If you want an S-92 now, you’re either going to have to convince someone to give theirs up, or you’re going to have to buy new—so we are starting to see interest.” According to Air & Sea Analytics, a UK-based consultancy, about 92% of the offshore-configured S-92 fleet remains in service, with utilization rates of around 98%.
Airbus, meanwhile, is working to restore its H225’s offshore credentials. The type’s reputation was tainted by a fatal accident in 2016 near Turoy, Norway, which led to both the H225 and the wider Super Puma family being largely withdrawn from offshore operations.
However, the H225 has been making a gradual comeback and is now used for oil and gas missions in Brazil, China, Namibia and Vietnam. The aircraft received approval late last year from Shell to carry its personnel and operate on its contracts—an important endorsement in the offshore sector.
“In terms of safety, Shell is a reference,” said Michel Macia, Airbus’ Super Puma family program manager. “If you are approved by them, it creates confidence in the market—and it means there is the possibility to come back in any country.”
Macia added that Airbus does not expect the H225 to reenter the Norwegian and UK North Sea markets in the near term, but he said the company is working to remove the stigma surrounding the platform and resecure approval from offshore workers’ unions.
Shell’s approval follows nearly a decade of investment in the aircraft, including an enhanced main gearbox and upgraded avionics (AW&ST Feb. 26-March 10, 2024, p. 44).
The H225 continues to sell well in other markets—its backlog has been boosted by military orders as global defense spending increases. Potential sales of up to 40 H225s to Romania are under discussion. Macia suggested offshore opportunities for the H225 could emerge in the early 2030s as operators begin retiring aging S-92 fleets.
Silva, however, said the S-92 still has years of service to come. He added that 73% of the fleet’s total airframe life “is still ahead of us,” noting that many aircraft have not yet reached half of their 30,000-hr. life span.
New S-92s are being built to the upgraded S-92A+ standard, which includes the Phase IV main gearbox designed to sustain safe flight even if the primary lubrication system is compromised. Development of the Phase IV gearbox reflects lessons from the 2009 crash of an S-92 off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada, where a loss of gearbox oil pressure led to a fatal ditching that killed 17 people.
The upgrade also increases maximum takeoff weight by 1,200 lb. to 27,700 lb., enabling greater payload. Additional improvements include longer inspection intervals, life extensions for key gearbox components and optional performance enhancements through an upgraded GE CT7-8A engine package. Sikorsky also plans to offer the S-92A+ upgrades as a retrofit kit for existing aircraft, although availability depends on FAA certification of the Phase IV gearbox, which is still pending.
In addition, Silva said the company has made progress in resolving supply chain issues that had affected offshore operations. At one point, about 30 S-92s were grounded due to parts shortages, prompting warnings to energy companies by the International Association of Oil and Gas Producers. He said those issues were partly driven by the rapid return to service of aircraft as oil prices began to rebound in 2022.
Industry observers suggest the renewed push by Airbus and Sikorsky into the heavy helicopter segment could complicate the market entry of Bell’s new 525, a 9.3-metric-ton aircraft nearing certification. Only a handful of tests, including function and reliability trials, remain before the aircraft can be approved by the FAA, and Bell is aiming to achieve certification this year.
The company has long seen the 525 as a potential replacement for the S-92, particularly in Norway, where it has secured initial orders as operators seek to move away from reliance on a single platform. The S-92 has dominated offshore operations there since the Turoy accident.
The H225 and S-92 are also finding new roles beyond offshore operations. The first production S-92—on display at Verticon—is being used for aerial firefighting after spending much of its service life in offshore transport. Airbus is similarly positioning the H225 as a multimission platform for civil operators, particularly municipalities seeking aircraft capable of both firefighting and search-and-rescue missions.
While lower-cost options, such as ex-U.S. Army Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawks, have been adapted for firefighting, their restricted-category certification prevents them from carrying passengers, including firefighters. This limitation is prompting some operators to consider alternatives like the H225 and the smaller H215. Similar constraints have also driven Australia’s McDermott Aviation to restart production of the Bell 214ST.
—With Ben Goldstein in Boston
Related Content
