Minister Kim Jae-hyun of Korea Forest Service.

The Korea Forest Service is to get the delivery of the two Skycrane copters in the fall this year which were ordered early in 2018 to supplement the Forest Service’s firefighting capability from Erickson Inc., a leading aerospace manufacturer and aerial services company, located in Portland, Ore., the U.S. A.

These aircraft are in addition to a previously ordered S64E Aircrane currently under construction at Erickson and due to be delivered in Q3 2018.. The Korean Forest Service would likely to pay roughly $50 million for the two Erickson S-64E helicopters for its firefighting fleet. Additional training and support work increase the total value.

Erickson CEO Doug Kitani announced the deal that will stimulate local employment at the firm’s Central Point plant on recently. The Forest Aviation Headquarters, a subsidiary of the Korea Forest Service, has ordered two additional S-64E models equipped with firefighting tanks, sea snorkels, foam cannons, glass cockpit, composite main rotor blades and NVG capability.

The S-64 Aircrane is well-known in Korea and has a strong reputation for being the most efficient firefighting aircraft in their existing fleet.
Douglas Kitani, CEO and Director of Erickson said, “This was a global competition, and we were competing with manufacturers from around the world. We are pleased to bring the work and jobs to our Southern Oregon facility and apply Erickson’s unique skillset to augment Korea’s firefighting capabilities.”

KFS was the first foreign government that purchased S-64s from Erickson in 2001, and to date it has operated five Aircranes in Korea while maintaining a contract for parts and service support. This new contract brings the total number of orders for the KFS Aircrane fleet to eight, with the expectation of delivering the seventh and eighth aircraft by the end of 2019. The contract award decision was based on the superior performance and reliability of the Aircrane, Erickson’s attention.

The S-64 is well-known in Korea and has a strong reputation for being the best firefighting aircraft available. In 2001, KFS was the first foreign government to purchase S-64 helicopters from Erickson. Currently KFS is operating three S-64E helicopters and conducts business with Erickson for parts purchasing and service support.

The S-64 has a greater and more powerful firefighting capacity than the rest of the KFS fleet. “From previous S-64 operations experienced by the Korea Forest Service, the S-64E shows overwhelming improved performance on forest firefighting using a helicopter,” said FAH Operation Manager, Mr. M. J. Kim of the Korea Forest Service.

The Aircrane will be manufactured to include a firefighting helitank and foam cannon. Erickson’s manufacturing and maintenance, repair and overhaul capacity has been expanded in 2016 to accommodate Navy contracts for refurbishment of the MH 53 program.

The Erickson S-64 Aircrane Helitanker has given the firefighting world cause to sit up and take notice of the revolution that is occurring in aerial firefighting technology. Our unique and versatile helicopter features a 2,650 gallon (~10,000 liter) tank with microprocessor controlled tank doors that allow for 8 different coverage levels.

Unlike many fixed wing tanker firefighters, the tank doors of the S-64 are controlled by a microprocessor that actually adjusts for airspeed and opens the tank doors to allow for a flow rate that matches the particular coverage level selected by the pilot. The tank adds the delivery capacity of fixed wing tanker planes to the maneuvering capability of a helicopter.

The tank system and the S-64 Aircrane helicopter are manufactured by Erickson Air-Crane of Central Point, Oregon.

An Aircane 64E helicopter that Korea Forest Service ordered and get the delivery in the fall of 2019 from Erickson Inc., Portland, Ore., the U.S.A. (Photos: KFS)