Richard Benton
June 27, 2024
Without fanfare, Stratford-based Sikorsky has a new leader
PHOTO | GARY LEWIS
Former Sikorsky President Paul Lemmo.
By Skyler Frazer
Defense industry conglomerate Lockheed Martin this month quietly made a change to its top leadership at Stratford-based subsidiary Sikorsky.
Richard Benton has taken over as vice president and general manager of helicopter manufacturer Sikorsky, succeeding Paul Lemmo, who has taken on a new role at Lockheed Martin as vice president and general manager of integrated warfare systems and sensors. The two announced their respective moves on LinkedIn on June 11, but the companies didn’t issue a press release on the shake up.
“Thank you to Paul Lemmo for the seamless transition as he also takes on a new role within Lockheed Martin,” Benton said in his post. “I am privileged to follow in Paul’s footsteps as the leader of Sikorsky. I am eager to meet the Sikorsky team and get to know my new teammates.”
Benton has spent more than two decades at Lockheed Martin serving in various roles, most recently as vice president and general manager of training and logistics solutions. Lemmo was Sikorsky’s president for more than three years and has spent more than 30 years at Lockheed Martin.
The leadership change comes as Sikorsky has had a challenging last few years. In April, the company announced it would lay off hundreds of employees as a result of the U.S. Army’s recent decision to cancel its Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft (FARA) program.
A spokesperson for Lockheed Martin said at the time, the company was reducing less than 1% of the positions within its Sikorsky business segment.
The Army began the FARA program, which involved developing a next-generation scout aircraft, in 2018. Two years later, it picked up designs by Textron’s Bell and Sikorsky, according to Reuters.
In February, the Army dropped the program after spending $2 billion on it, according to Reuters. The Army said that after a "sober assessment of the modern battlefield" it would instead increase investment in uncrewed aircraft, Reuters reported.
Sikorsky lost another major defense contract in late 2022, when the Army selected Bell to build a long-range assault aircraft that would replace some Black Hawk helicopters.
But Army officials have said they’re planning a multi-year contract for the procurement of the UH-60M Black Hawk, which is produced by Sikorsky.
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