Helicopter Cargo -- New Opportunities Through Technology Transfer

The value of helicopter-augmented air cargo has been demonstrated and greater exploitation of its opportunities has awaited only the emergence of a low-cost, reliable cargo helicopter. One such aircraft is the Sikorsky S-70C, a close derivative of the U.S. Army UH-60A Black Hawk utility transport helicopter, recently certificated by the U.S. FAA for cargo transport and related missions. The use of such advanced helicopters to augment fixed-wing priority express service between major cities is shown to offer substantial time savings, and corresponding improvements in a forwarder's market share, at a disproportionately small increase in total cost.