Sikorsky has begun to repair a troubled $4.8 billion helicopter deal with the Canadian government that nearly fell apart after the Stratford-based manufacturer failed to deliver the aircraft on time.

The Canadian government and Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. accepted a initial framework for a new contract that includes a changed project structure and governance model, the government said Friday. The CH-148 Cyclone helicopters are scheduled to replace the country's aging fleet of Sea King aircraft, also made by Sikorsky.

"The decision to continue with the Maritime Helicopter Project is consistent with our goals of getting the Canadian Armed Forces the equipment they need while protecting the investments taxpayers have already made in this program," Rob Nicholson, Canada's minister of national defense, said in a written statement.

Canada signed the initial contract for 28 helicopters and 20 years of support services in November 2004.

The retooling of the agreement follows more than a year of negotiations between Sikorsky and the Canadian government. At one point, the defense ministry looked into other suppliers for similar aircraft. The government recently commissioned a third-party report on the status and challenges of the agreement, which formed the basis for the agreement announced Friday.

In December, Louis Chênevert, chief executive of Sikorsky's parent company United Technologies Corp., told analysts that four helicopters are currently at Canada's Air Force base in Shearwater, Nova Scotia, and that six more are waiting in Plattsburgh, N.Y., where the company stores completed aircraft.

Though Chênevert said the company had plans to deliver eight by the close of 2013, it fell short. "We regret that we have not executed this program to the satisfaction of the Government of Canada and that no aircraft were delivered in 2013," Sikorsky President Mick Maurer said in a written statement.

In 2012, United Technologies paid $157 million in late fees on the program. In the new agreement, Sikorsky has agreed to pay Canada $88.6 million in damages for non-delivery, the government said. It is unclear whether these charges overlap, and a company spokesman was not immediately available for comment.

Chênevert told analysts Sikorsky plans to deliver eight of the helicopters in 2014 and eight in 2015. The new agreement is silent on the expected pace of deliveries going forward, though it expects the replacement fleet to be fully operational in 2018.

"Under the new terms … Sikorsky has committed to deliver the needed helicopter capability at no additional cost to Canada," said Diane Finley, minister of Canada's Public Works and Government Services. "This is the right path forward for the Canadian Armed Forces and taxpayers."

First Commercial Delivery

On Monday, Sikorsky announced it had delivered the first in its latest version of commercial helicopters for use in airlifting oil rig workers to and from offshore platforms.

The first fully configured S-76D helicopter was sent to the Bristow Group Inc. in December, Sikorsky said. Bristow, based in Houston, supplies air service for the offshore energy industry, with operations in the North Sea, Nigeria and the U.S. Gulf of Mexico as well as Australia, Brazil, Canada, Russia and Trinidad.

The company, which already has more than 100 Sikorsky helicopters, plans to buy up to 26 of the new aircraft, the latest in Sikorsky's S-76 line.

The S-76D has Pratt & Whitney Canada PW210S engines. Pratt, like Sikorsky, is a UTC subsidiary.

In October, the Federal Aviation Administration granted the new helicopter certification for use on offshore oil operations, increasing the maximum gross weight to 11,875 pounds and allowing as many as 12 passengers.

"The S-76D helicopter delivers the safety, reliability and efficiency our customers have come to expect from the S-76 family of aircraft, but with faster cruise speed and a more efficient fuel burn," Carey Bond, president of Sikorsky Global Helicopters, said in a written statement.

The company announcement Monday said Sikorsky has delivered more than 800 S-76 helicopters since 1979.