Erickson has been contracted by the Korea Forest Service (KFS) to supply two new S-64E Aircranes to supplement the service’s firefighting capacity.  These aircraft are in addition to a previously ordered S-64E Aircrane currently under construction and due to be delivered during the third quarter of 2018.  The Forest Aviation Headquarters, a subsidiary of the Korea Forest Service, opted to order these two additional S-64E models fully 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 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 improve Korea’s firefighting capabilities.” KFS was the first foreign entity to purchase S-64s from Erickson in 2001, and to date it has operated five Aircranes in South Korea while maintaining a contract for parts and service support. This new contract will bring the total number of KFS helicopters to eight by the end of 2019, when the last aircraft is scheduled for delivery.