HORSEHEADS, N.Y. (Map) - HORSEHEADS, N.Y., May 20 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. achieved a major milestone on its X2 TECHNOLOGY(TM) Demonstrator program by successfully ground testing the aircraft with rotor blades installed and spinning for the first time. Sikorsky is a subsidiary of United Technologies Corp. (NYSE: UTX).

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The initial "blades-on" ground test was conducted May 13 and went according to plan. The ground tests are continuing at Sikorsky's Schweizer Aircraft Corp. rapid-prototyping facility in Horseheads, N.Y., in preparation for the X2 TECHNOLOGY Demonstrator's first flight.

"The entire X2 TECHNOLOGY Demonstrator Program Team is extremely pleased that we continue to move our experimental program closer and closer to first flight," said

The X2 TECHNOLOGY Demonstrator combines an integrated suite of technologies intended to advance the state-of-the-art, counter-rotating coaxial rotor helicopter. It is designed to demonstrate a helicopter can cruise comfortably at 250 knots, while retaining such desirable helicopter attributes as excellent low speed handling, efficient hovering and autorotation safety, and a seamless and simple transition to high speed.

Among the innovative technologies the X2 TECHNOLOGY Demonstrator employs are:

    -- Fly-by-wire flight controls
    -- Counter-rotating rigid rotor blades
    -- Hub drag reduction
    -- Active vibration control
    -- Integrated auxiliary propulsion system

Sikorsky Aircraft first announced the initiative to develop an integrated suite of technologies called X2 TECHNOLOGY in June 2005. The project is funded solely by Sikorsky.

Sikorsky Aircraft Corp., based in Stratford, Conn., is a world leader in helicopter design, manufacture, and service. The company's long commitment to safety and innovation is reflected in its mission statement: "We pioneer flight solutions that bring people home everywhere ... every time(TM)." United Technologies Corp., based in Hartford, Conn., provides a broad range of high-technology products and support services to the aerospace and building systems industries.