June 22 saw the arrival at Fullerton Airport of two of the county's newest aviation assets: two new Sikorsky S-70 FIREHAWKs, which were delivered by United Rotorcraft, the Denver, Colorado-based completion center that outfitted the new helicopters.
Orange County (OCFA) initially announced the order of two FIREHAWKs in November 2022; however, several delays during the completion process delayeddelivery until this week.
OCFA previously operated several UH-1H aircraft, which were superseded by Bell 412s before the arrival of the S-70s. The Sikorsky aircraft's increased weight and passenger-carrying capability will give the agency both a type two and type three capability for aerial firefighting going forward, in addition to increasing the agency's search and rescue capabilities.
