STRATFORD — Sikorsky Aircraft gave a send-off Friday to its first Connecticut-built CH-53K heavy lift helicopter to the U.S. Marine Corps in a ceremony suitable for the massive high-tech aircraft.
Nearly 100 executives and employees of the Lockheed Martin Corp. helicopter manufacturer and others celebrated in an aircraft hangar at Sikorsky’s Stratford headquarters, with the helicopter — 99 feet long and 18 feet high — put on display for the event.Sikorsky added 1,000 workers in 2020. The company’s new president promises more jobs this year at the Stratford helicopter manufacturer. »
The delivery to the Marines comes nearly five years to the day after then-Gov. Dannel P. Malloy announced a $220 million state aid package for Sikorsky intended to keep helicopter manufacturing in Connecticut and expand the network of suppliers.
“Your partnership has helped us lay the foundation and make this big event in Connecticut possible,” Sikorsky President Paul Lemmo told state officials who included Gov. Ned Lamont and his economic development team.
