Kaman Recognized as Black Hawk Supplier of the Year

Lockheed Martin, April 24, 2019 - JACKSONVILLE, FL - Kaman Aerospace Group, Inc., a subsidiary of Kaman Corporation, today announced that its Integrated Structures and Metallics Division located in Jacksonville, Florida was presented with Sikorsky’s Black Hawk Program Supplier of the Year Award.

Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin company (LMT), stated in a recent press release that “Kaman was chosen for this special recognition due to their overall performance in 2018, supporting the Black Hawk cockpit requirements in support of Sikorsky’s manufacturing plan. Kaman maintained all Black Hawk schedule requirements throughout the year, including the surge requirements. Kaman was also able to supply cockpit components in shorter than lead-time for critical production demands.”

Kaman was recognized by Dan Schultz, President of Sikorsky, and Mike Ciocca, Vice President of Sikorsky Supply Chain Management, who presented the award at Sikorsky’s recent supplier conference in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. Kaman currently manufactures cockpits for a variety of Sikorsky’s H-60 models, including the UH-60M Black Hawk, HH-60M MEDEVAC, and S-70, Sikorsky’s international Black Hawk variant. Kaman has manufactured and delivered all of its H-60 cockpits from its Jacksonville, Florida facility.

Commenting on this occasion, William Zmyndak, Vice President and General Manager of Kaman Integrated Structures and Metallics, said, “We are honored to receive this award, which exemplifies our team’s hard work, dedication and support of the Black Hawk helicopter, a proven aircraft serving a multitude of missions to keep our country safe and protect our troops worldwide. We greatly value this recognition and will continue to build on our success by providing award winning support to Sikorsky.”

“We take great pride in our long standing partnership with Sikorsky, which spans over 14 years where we have delivered over 1,500 cockpits for the H-60 Black Hawk helicopter program,” added Rick Barnhart, President of Kaman Aerospace Group. “We are extremely proud of this achievement, the highest distinction when it comes to delivering quality products on time to meet the demand of our customers. This recognition underscores Kaman’s demonstrated performance, commitment and support of the Black Hawk program in 2018, and we look forward to continued success with Sikorsky.”

About Kaman Aerospace Group: Kaman Aerospace is a division of Kaman Corporation (KAMN), which was founded in 1945 by aviation pioneer Charles H. Kaman. Headquartered in Bloomfield, Connecticut, Kaman Corporation conducts business in the aerospace and distribution markets. With 14 facilities worldwide and fully one-third of employees located outside of the U.S., Kaman Aerospace is truly a global organization. Kaman’s latest locations are in Rimpar, Germany and Prachatice, Czech Republic, where GRW, acquired by Kaman in 2015, designs and manufactures super precision, miniature ball bearings.

Kaman Aerospace also produces and/or markets widely used proprietary aircraft bearings and components; complex metallic and composite aerostructures for the commercial, military and general aviation fixed and rotary wing aircraft; aerostructure engineering design analysis and FAA certification services; safe and arm solutions for missile and bomb systems for the U.S. and allied militaries; subcontract helicopter work; production of the K-MAX® medium-to-heavy lift helicopter and support for the company's SH-2G Super Seasprite maritime aircraft.

Sikorsky Recognizes Top Suppliers

Lockheed Martin’s Sikorsky line of business honored its top suppliers at a recent ceremony in West Palm Beach, Florida.

Suppliers were recognized March 28, receiving honors as Sikorsky Elite Suppliers for best-in-class performance in achieving on-time delivery, cost and quality standards during 2018 and Supplier of the Year for extraordinary support on a specific program.

Sikorsky Program Supplier of the Year Award Recipients

- Black Hawk: Kaman Aerospace Corporation – Jacksonville, Florida. Kaman was chosen for special recognition due to their overall performance in 2018, supporting the Black Hawk cockpit requirements in support of Sikorsky’s manufacturing plan. They maintained all Black Hawk schedule requirements throughout the year, including the surge requirements. Kaman was also able to supply cockpit components in shorter than lead time for critical production demands.

- HH-60W Combat Rescue Helicopter (CRH): Beta Shim – Shelton, Connecticut. Beta Shim has consistently supported several quick-turn and late release orders to support the CRH build and 2019 first flight milestone. They have delivered ahead of quoted lead times by an average of 12 days.

- VH-92A: Collins Aerospace – Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Collins Aerospace was chosen based on its dedicated efforts to fully integrate all avionics management systems into the VH-92A cockpit. The Collins team demonstrated superior responsiveness to ensure the ultimate success of the VH-92A program.

- S-97 Raider & SB-1 Defiant: AvtechTyee – Everett, Washington. AvtechTyee was a vital supplier on Sikorsky’s future vertical lift platforms, S-97 Raider and SB-1 Defiant. Their innovative contributions were highlighted by the first use of composite pitch control rods on a Sikorsky program. AvtechTyee successfully designed a unique carbon fiber rod under the strict time restraints of Sikorsky’s rapid prototype environment. AvtechTyee showed a great deal of agility in balancing priorities to ensure both programs’ critical milestones were met.

- Aftermarket & Commercial Support: Héroux-Devtek Spain CESA – Gatafe, Spain. CESA is an original partner on the S-92 for the accumulator assembly. They have many years as a valued supplier on the S-92, investing their own money to develop and make continuous improvements on the accumulator. Throughout the program, CESA has maintained excellent delivery and support metrics. They have also been a leader when it comes to cost reduction initiatives.

- CH-53K King Stallion: Senior Aerospace – Enfield, Connecticut. Senior demonstrated best-in-class support on CH-53K test initiatives. Senior was proactive in getting critical technical plans generated and approved to minimize schedule slips. In addition to leaning forward to cut down lead time, Senior does an outstanding job communicating with Sikorsky on any issues involving the CH-53K.

- Canadian Maritime Helicopter Program (CMHP) CH-148 Cyclone: Timken – New Philadelphia, Ohio. Timken has done an excellent job in 2018. They executed short lead times and achieved technical success, enabling CMHP Block 2 in 3 Gearbox certifications while testing at their location.

Dan Schultz, president, Sikorsky, and Mike Ciocca, vice president, Supply Chain, were on hand to present the awards.

About Lockheed Martin: Headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, Lockheed Martin is a global security and aerospace company that employs approximately 100,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services.