Rotorcraft
Airliner Supplier Sees Growth in Military Vertical Lift
Spirit AeroSystems, a supplier to Airbus and Boeing, sees opportunity in helos, tiltrotors, particularly on defense side.
This fuselage of Lockheed Martin Sikorsky's CH-53K heavy-lift helicopter represents Spirit AeroSystems first foray into the rotorcraft business. (Photo:Spirit AeroSystems)
This fuselage of Lockheed Martin Sikorsky's CH-53K heavy-lift helicopter represents Spirit AeroSystems first foray into the rotorcraft business. (Photo:Spirit AeroSystems)

Spirit AeroSystems is widely known as a supplier of major parts and structures to Boeing commercial airplanes and to a lesser degree, Boeing’s European rival, Airbus. But since its inception in 2005, the Wichita, Kansas-based Tier One supplier has focused on diversifying its business and lowering its reliance on Boeing, which in 2017 accounted for 79 percent of Spirit’s $7 billion in net revenue.