Aerostar's Black Hawk MRO facility opens in Bacau

Aerostar S.A. Bacau's maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) center for S-70 Black Hawk helicopters opened on Thursday during an event attended by US ambassador to Romania Kathleen Kavalec, Economy Minister Stefan Radu Oprea, Lockheed Martin representatives, other officials of the Romanian government and local authorities."This new facility strengthens the existing relationship between Lockheed Martin and Aerostar, which already performs similar activities for Romania's fleet of F-16 fighter jets," Lockheed Martin representatives said in a release.Located in Bacau, the MRO facility - the first in Europe - will contribute to creating and supporting highly skilled jobs in Romania and will ensure increased availability and lower operational costs for the S-70 Black Hawk helicopters operated by the Ministry of the Interior."Delivered last month, our Polish-built Black Hawks offer an important capability in support of Romanian emergency services," said Lockheed Martin's Vice President for international business Ray Piselli during the inauguration ceremony in Bacau.In partnership with Aerostar, Lockheed Martin is already looking at opportunities to integrate in Bacau support services for other products.The company said it sees good growth opportunities in the future, which could include activities in other sectors."Today's event represents another major advance in our developing relationship with Lockheed Martin, a world leader in aerospace and defense, and supports high-value jobs in Romania. With Lockheed Martin as a partner, Aerostar is in a strong position to secure more maintenance works if Romania chooses Black Hawk for its military needs, and also to win contracts in new fields, such as technical support for ground systems," underlined Aerostar S.A. general director Grigore Filip."I congratulate the management of Aerostar S.A. for the way whereby the company's activity adds an element of uniqueness to our county. I also assure them of the continuity of the open, honest and transparent partnership we currently have, already materialized through the cooperation with the George Enescu International Airport in Bacau, and last but not least, through the project aimed at the development of an integrated dual education campus in the municipality of Bacau," declared the president of the Bacau County Council Valentin Ivancea.Prior to the center's inauguration, Aerostar employees were seconded to Lockheed Martin's Sikorsky Training Academy in the United States, where they familiarized themselves with the aircraft and underwent all the necessary training.Built at the Lockheed Martin PZL Mielec factory in Poland, the S-70 Black Hawk utility helicopter plays an important role in ensuring civil and defense requirements in European countries and beyond.Lockheed Martin has been Romania's partner for over 25 years now and is today a strategic partner for national defense, industry and academia.The company cooperates with Romania on a variety of defense and security programs, including military aircraft, missile defense, precision fire, radars and pilot training.The company's involvement also includes ties with academic institutions, such as the Technical University of Cluj-Napoca, which studies AI applications to support national security, humanitarian assistance and disaster response.Attending the inauguration of the Aerostar center were US ambassador to Romania Kathleen Kavalec, Lockheed Martin representatives, Minister of Economy, Entrepreneurship and Tourism Stefan Radu Oprea, head of the Emergency Management Department, Secretary of State Raed Arafat, and representatives of the local administration.