Sikorsky announced yesterday that it delivered the first two examples of the S-76D, an upgraded version of the medium twin helicopter, to the Bristow Group late last month. The helicopters are equipped for offshore oil and gas operations, a configuration certified by the FAA in October 2012, and are to fly in the Gulf of Mexico.

While the actual price paid by customers remains undisclosed, the price of a typically equipped offshore S-76D is in the $13 to $15 million range, Sikorsky Global Helicopters president Carey Bond told AIN. The S-76D backlog is valued at $700 million in firm orders, he added, and the production line is booked until the end of this year.

The orders come from four market segments–offshore, search-and-rescue, executive and EMS, Bond said. EASA certification of the S-76D is expected in the second quarter. The new version features major changes over the S-76C, such as a Thales TopDeck avionics suite, a dual-speed main rotor and 1,077-shp Pratt & Whitney Canada PW210S engines. The S-76D prototype first flew in February 2009.