Christmas 1976 perhaps changed the history of the US helicopter manufacturer Sikorsky forever. At that time, the US Army chose the Black Hawk as the official aircraft of the military fleet. According to industry enthusiasts, without this order the company probably would not have survived for the years to come. Instead, on March 5, 2023 the company turned 100 years old.

Today, this company controlled by the Lockheed Martin Group is grappling with an existential question: the rejection by the US Army of its Defiant X helicopter (to which the tiltrotor developed by the Bell company has been preferred) is a punch in the stomach for Black Hawk and for the whole company, which in fact filed a judicial appeal. The judges' decision is expected next month.

The company was founded in 1923 by Ukrainian-born American aircraft engineer Igor Sikorsky. He was the creator of the first single rotor helicopter, which was produced on a large scale starting in 1942. In 1934 the company changed its name to United Aircraft and became famous for its UH-60 Black Hawk and SH-60 Sea Hawk aircraft. The headquarters are in Stratford, in the state of Connecticut. Since November 6, 2015 Sikorsky has been part of the Lockheed Martin group.