In the early 1970’s it became clear that there was a demand for a medium twin-engine turbine helicopter for the offshore and corporate market. Sikorsky, among others, launched a series of design studies that resulted in a decision to launch the S 76 in 1975. The design that resulted and the decision to proceed with production made it Sikorsky’s first helicopter made from scratch for the civilian market, without major components based on a military design. The other major innovation was that it represented Sikorsky’s first extensive application of composites for the dynamic system and the fuselage. The original version of this helicopter was the S 76A (also referred to as the S 76 Spirit – a name that did not last). This was superseded by the S 76A Mark II in 1982 and modification kits were made available for all earlier S 76A. In 1985 the S 76B was certificated. The S 76B focused on increasing hot and high performance and to increase payload. In 1991 the S 76C was introduced. This helicopter, which uses Turbomeca engines was intended as a direct replacement for the S 76A. Until 1997, both the S 76B and the S 76C were in production side-by-side.
The S 76C uses a four-bladed fully articulated main rotor head with single elastomeric bearings. Dual bifilar vibration absorbers, mounted above the rotor head are used to decrease vibration levels. The engines used on the S 76C are the Turbomeca 1S1. A four-bladed tail rotor provides directional control. Both the main rotor blades and the tail rotor blades have a titanium main spar with a Nomex honeycomb airfoil shape and fiberglass outer cover. The fuselage provides two compartments. The pilot compartment seats two and the passenger cabin seats up to 12. The fuselage contains extensive Kevlar and honeycomb components. The passenger cabin is available in three basic configurations. One is a 5-place corporate interior with 2 comfortable seats facing aft and a three- place bench facing forward. The second is a 12 seat utility configuration. This has three forward facing rows with 4 seats each. The third configuration is for EMS operators. This configuration puts two stretchers and four medical attendants in the cabin
The S 76C program was launched in 1989 and first flight of the prototype occurred in 1990. Certification to the standards of FAR 29 was obtained in 1991. IFR and Category A certification followed. Deliveries started in 1991 and production ceased in 1996 when the S 76C+ took its place. During this time, a total of about 70 S 76C were delivered.