Lockheed Martin and Aerostar Open S-70 Black Hawk Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul Service Centre in Bacau

Lockheed Martin and Aerostar S.A. have inaugurated the first certified S-70 Black Hawk helicopter maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) service centre in Europe. This new capability strengthens the exiting relationship between Lockheed Martin and Aerostar which already undertakes similar work for Romania’s F-16 fighter fleet.

Located in Bacau, the service centre will contribute to the creation and sustainment of high-skilled jobs in Romania and deliver increased readiness and lower operational costs for S-70 Black Hawk helicopters operated by the Ministry of Interior.

In advance of the facility’s launch, Aerostar employees travelled to Lockheed Martin’s Sikorsky training academy in the United States where they completed aircraft familiarisation and all necessary training.

“Delivered last month, our Polish built Black Hawks are providing an important capability in support of Romania’s emergency services” Ray Piselli, vice president international at Lockheed Martin said at the opening ceremony in Bacau.“

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“This new MRO service centre evidences our commitment to teaming with Romanian industry and will see support for the Ministry of Interior’s Black Hawk helicopter fleet carried out for Romania, by Romanian engineers and technicians, in Romania.”

In partnership with Aerostar, Lockheed Martin is already looking at opportunities to integrate support for other products in Bacau. The company sees good opportunities for future growth, potentially including work in other sectors.

Grigore Filip, general director of Aerostar S.A. said: “Today’s milestone is another major development in our growing relationship with Lockheed Martin, a world leader in aerospace and defence, and sustains high value jobs in Romania.”

“Having Lockheed Martin as a partner puts Aerostar in a strong position to secure more sustainment work if Romania selects Black Hawk for its military needs and to also win business in new areas such as supporting land systems too.”

Built at Lockheed Martin’s PZL Mielec facility in Poland, the highly sought after S-70 Black Hawk utility helicopter plays an important role in supporting both civil and defence needs in  countries across Europe and beyond.

The helicopter has earned its reputation as the trusted utility aircraft for operators worldwide, with unrivalled multi-mission versatility and military-grade airworthiness, which provides the capability to operate in extreme weather conditions, by day or night.

Lockheed Martin has been a partner to Romania for more than 25 years and is today a strategic partner for national defence, industry and academia. It partners with Romania on a variety of defence and security programmes including military aircraft, missile defence, precision fire, radar and pilot training.

The company’s involvement extends to include links with academic institutions, such as Romania’s Technical University of Cluj-Napoca, which is studying artificial intelligence applications to support national security, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.