Wed, May 16, 2012
Holland: Deal Is "Another Major Milestone" For The Re-Emerging Company
Just a few weeks ago, Eclipse CEO Mason Holland assured the aviation community that Sikorsky would continue to be a significant partner in the re-birth of the Eclipse twin jet. That was born out Tuesday as Sikorsky subsidiary PZL Mielec and Eclipse Aerospace announced they have signed an agreement to produce airframe components for Eclipse Aerospace in Poland and ship them to Eclipse's facilities in Albuquerque, NM, for final assembly and delivery to customers once Eclipse officially starts production. The deal is contingent upon the launch of Eclipse 550 jet production. PZL Mielec would fabricate major components consisting of the fuselage, empennage and wings for the Eclipse 550 jet
The Eclipse 550 is a light twin-engine jet with a 1,125 nautical mile range at speeds up to 375 knots and an economical cruise fuel consumption of 59 gallons per hour. “The signing of the PZL Eclipse 550 airframe contract is another major milestone in our production path,” said Mason Holland, CEO of Eclipse Aerospace. “Utilizing the world class facilities of PZL Mielec in the production of our airframe components is huge for Eclipse. Their proven facilities and experience will further accelerate our efforts while reducing production start up risk.”
The Eclipse 550 will be built using the same airframe design as the Eclipse 500. However, the 550 model will include an improved avionics system which will include Synthetic Vision, Auto Throttles, and Enhanced Vision. The Eclipse 550 will also possess the same 1,125 nm range, 375 ktas max cruise speed, and 41,000 ft service ceiling of its predecessor, and will continue its industry leading fuel performance, burning a mere 59 gallons per hour at cruise.
PZL Mielec currently produces the M-28 fixed wing aircraft and the Sikorsky S-70i international Black Hawk helicopter. "Sikorsky is proud of our ability to utilize world class facilities such as PZL to lower the overall cost of supply chain components and manufacturing for the Eclipse Jet," said Shane Eddy, Vice President, Global Supply Chain, for Sikorsky
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