Total Order Now 178 UH-72A Light Utility Helicopters
The U.S. Army has awarded the fifth year contract for the
Lakota Light Utility Helicopter (LUH) to EADS North America for
$247.2 million. The contract increases the company's supply of 45
additional Lakotas along with hardware to equip the rotary-wing
aircraft for medical evacuation, personnel transport and
multi-mission applications.
"The Army has great confidence in the Light Utility Helicopter
program, and to preserve the momentum of this successful ACAT-1
system, we awarded the Fiscal Year 2010 contract at the earliest
point allowed," said Keith Roberson, the Deputy Project Manager for
Utility Helicopters at the U.S. Army's Program Executive Office for
Aviation.
This latest contract funds Fiscal Year 2010 production of UH-72A
Lakotas to be delivered through June 2011, and brings the total
number of Light Utility Helicopters ordered by the U.S. Army to
178. "The UH-72A program is a key element in the U.S. Army's
aviation modernization effort, and we are committed to providing
the very best helicopters for America's warfighters," said Sean
O'Keefe, EADS North America Chief Executive Officer.
The Fiscal Year 2010 contract ensures continuity of UH-72A
deliveries from the state-of-the-art facility in Columbus,
Mississippi -- which is operated by EADS North America's American
Eurocopter business unit.
The UH-72A is a Defense Acquisition Category (ACAT) I major
defense acquisition program for the U.S. Defense Department. The
Lakota's service entry beginning in 2007 marked one of the most
rapid introductions of a new aircraft in the U.S. Army's history.
To date, 93 Lakotas have been delivered by EADS North America with
all aircraft provided within budget and on schedule.
A total of 345 Lakotas are expected to be acquired through 2015
for U.S. Army and National Guard operations in missions that range
from homeland security and drug interdiction, general support,
logistics and medical evacuation flights (MEDEVAC). The aircraft
enable aging National Guard OH-58 and UH-1 rotary-wing aircraft to
be retired, while UH-72A deliveries to the active component of the
U.S. Army free up UH-60 Black Hawks for assignment to warfighting
missions.
The Lakotas delivered to date by EADS North America are based at
U.S. Army and National Guard locations from coast-to-coast in the
United States, as well as in Puerto Rico. Future deployments of
UH-72As are anticipated in the Pacific, Europe and Japan.
Five H-72A versions of the Lakota are being delivered to the
U.S. Navy for pilot training at the Naval Test Pilot School at
Patuxent River, MD. In addition, a variant of the UH-72A is being
proposed by EADS North America as a new armed scout helicopter
solution for the U.S. Army -- the Armed Scout 645.