Eurocopter UH-72 Lakota

Template:Infobox Aircraft

The UH-72A Lakota is the United States Army light utility helicopter that entered service in 2006, built by the American Eurocopter division of EADS North America.

It is a military version of the Eurocopter EC 145 modified to the Light Utility Helicopter (LUH) requirements. In June 2006, the US Army selected it as the winner of its LUH program with a 300+ aircraft fleet planned.

History

Background

The US Army's LHX program began in the early 1980s, proposing two airframes with a high percentage of commonality of dynamic components. One was a light utility airframe for assault and tactical movement of troops and supplies, the other was a light attack/reconnaissance airframe to compliment the growing development of the AH-64 Apache. As the program was developed, the light utility airframe concept was dropped and focus was placed on the light attack reconnaissance airframe which eventually became the RAH-66 Comanche.

In 2004, the Department of Defense and the US Army made the decision to terminate the RAH-66 program. As part of the termination, the Army was allowed to keep the future years funding programmed for the Comanche. To replace the capability that the Comanche was supposed to offer, the Army planned several programs, including three new aircraft. The Army Staff decided that these three aircraft, the Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter (ARH), the Light Utility Helicopter (LUH), and the Future Cargo Aircraft (FCA) (which was later renamed Joint Cargo Aircraft, or JCA), were to be existing, in-production commercial aircraft modified for Army service. Other programs that arose out of the Comanche termination were the UH-60M and the CH-47F upgrade programs.

LUH Program & UH-145

The LUH program was initiated in early 2004, with a requirement for 322 helicopters to conduct Homeland Security, administrative, logistic, Medical Evacuation (MEDEVAC) and support of the Army Test and Training Centers missions. The LUH contract was released in late July of 2005. At least five proposals were received. The competitors included the Bell 210 and Bell 412, MD Helicopters MD Explorer, AgustaWestland AW139. EADS marketed a version of the Eurocopter EC 145 (itself based on late model MBB/Kawasaki BK 117) as the UH-145 that met the project requirements - given the official DoD designation UH-72 Lakota after winning.

On 30 June 2006, the Army announced that the EADS entry had won the competition. If all 322 aircraft are procured the contract will be worth over $3 billion. In August, the EADS UH-145 submission was officially designated the UH-72A by the Department of Defense. It was then given the additional name Lakota later. The LUH marked EADS first major military contract in the North American market, and is among their larger orders overall.

Service Entry

The intent is to buy a total of 322 aircraft, with a possible surplus order of another 20. The program has a potential value of over $3 billion USD. The first aircraft was delivered on December 11th, 2006 in Columbus, Mississippi.^[1] The second UH-72A was delivered by the end of 2006. All aircraft are expected to be delivered by June 30, 2016.

The UH-72A is designed to take on a range of missions, from general support and medical evacuation (MEDEVAC) to personnel recovery and counter-narcotics operations. They are planned to replace the UH-1 and OH-58A/C, which are older light utility helicopters, and supplant other types in domestic use.

On 12 December 2006, General Richard A. Cody, Vice Chief of Staff of the Army, and Joe Red Cloud, a chief of the Oglala Sioux Tribe, Lakota Nation, accepted the first UH-72A. Initial aircraft will be sent to the National Training Center, Fort Irwin, Calif. for medical evacuation missions in January 2007. The UH-72A Lakotas will replace UH-60 Black Hawks, which will be transferred to the National Guard for operational missions.^[2]

Specifications (UH-72A)

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General characteristics

Crew: 2 pilots
Capacity: 8 troops or 2 stretchers and medical crew

Performance

External links

References

^ Sims, Paul. "Ready for flight. Eurocopter delivers first UH-72A to U.S. Army as world?s media watches." Starkville Daily News. 12 December 2006.
^ US Army unveils UH-72A Lakota