Lockheed Martin, a global security and aerospace company, and Aerostar SA Bacău inaugurated the first certified maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) service centre for the S-70 Black Hawk helicopter in Europe. The two companies already perform similar activities for Romania's F-16 fighter jet fleet.

With Lockheed Martin as a partner, Aerostar is in a strong position to obtain more maintenance work if Romania chooses the Black Hawk for its military needs, said Grigore Filip, CEO of Aerostar – the most important aerospace and defence company in Romania, which specialises in production, assembly and integration, as well as integrated logistics support for a wide range of defence and aviation systems.

Aerostar could also win contracts in new areas, such as the technical support for terrestrial systems, the company's CEO said, according to Economica.net.

US helicopter maker Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin subsidiary, delivered the first European-built S-70M helicopters last November under an order for Romania covering up to 12 aircraft. On November 24, the company turned over four multi-role S-70 helicopters, a direct commercial sales (DCS) variant of Sikorsky's venerable H-60 Black Hawk line. The aircraft were produced by Sikorsky's Polish subsidiary PZL Mielec and turned over to Romania's Ministry of Internal Affairs.

Located in Bacău, the maintenance centre for the S-70 Black Hawk will contribute to the creation and support of highly qualified jobs in Romania and will ensure increased availability and lower operational costs for the helicopters operated by the Ministry of the Interior, the press release reads. 

iulian@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: Facebook/Lucian Bogdanel)