Mitsubishi Corporation has contracted with Sikorsky Aircraft, a subsidiary of United Technologies Corp. (NYSE:

), to acquire 11 S-76D™ helicopters for use in Search and Rescue (SAR) operations by the Japan Coast Guard (JCG). The new helicopters were ordered in three contracts that were finalized between Feb. 2012 and March 2013. The contracts are the largest series of orders to date in Asia for Sikorsky's newest commercial product. Sikorsky announced the contracts today at the Paris Air Show. "The Japan Coast Guard has a long history with the S-76® model in the SAR role," said Christophe Nurit, Sikorsky's Vice President of Sales, Asia. "We are honored that JCG has chosen our most advanced S-76D helicopter variant for this critical life-saving mission."  The S-76D helicopter, which received FAA certification in 2012, is the latest in the family of popular Sikorsky's S-76 helicopters. More than 800 S-76 helicopters in the global fleet have accumulated 6.2 million flight hours during three decades of operation. Among other essential equipment crucial to the search and rescue mission, the JCG aircraft will feature a fully coupled four-axis SAR autopilot to reduce pilot workload and enhance overall mission