Ready for lift off
US-based Sikorsky Aircraft and Polish PZL Mielec have signed a cooperation agreement. Mielec, one of Poland's major military companies, will produce and install helicopter components for Sikorsky. The American company has booked 425,000 work hours.
PZL Mielec will install helicopter hulls and also produce spare parts. It is not yet known if Mielec will handle the contract alone or if a joint venture will be established. Either way, the cooperation is in line with company policy. Mielec has been constantly modernizing, thanks to which it says it can work with any company in the world.
Sikorsky's choice of a Polish partner does not come as a surprise. According to data provided by the Polish Information and Foreign Investment Agency (PAIiIZ), Poland has 55 companies working in the aircraft industry, employing 16,000 workers. Half of these companies are located around the city of Mielec in the Podkarpackie voivodship. The 'airplane valley' is the biggest aircraft industry cluster in Central Europe.
