Lockheed Martin‘s Sikorsky subsidiary has received approval from Canadian regulators for a gross weight expansion of the S-92 helicopter platform.
The company said Tuesday the certification allows Sikorsky to increase the helicopter’s payload capacity from 26,500 pounds to 27,700 pounds.
The Federal Aviation Administration approved a similar modification three years ago.
Sikorsky aims to obtain European Aviation Safety Agency certification later this year.
S-92 is designed to support search-and-rescue, offshore oil transportation, head of state and airline missions.
The platform has logged more than 1.25 million fleet flight hours for the helicopter to date.