Eurocopter Receives Production Certification For EC145
Aero-News learned this week the American Eurocopter business
unit of EADS North America has been granted production
authorization for UH-72A and EC145 helicopters, enabling these
rotary-wing aircraft to be US-made for military and civilian
customers.
EADS North America is supplying the UH-72A Lakota as the US
Army’s new Light Utility Helicopter, while its civilian EC145
version is offered for medical airlift, law enforcement and
corporate customers.
Production authorization for these helicopters was recently
granted by the Federal Aviation Administration, enabling deliveries
of US-made UH-72As to begin for operational Army units. The first
such aircraft is Lakota no. 10, which was delivered on August 27,
2007, from American Eurocopter’s Columbus, MS facility.
"With this milestone, EADS North America is meeting its
commitment of bringing UH-72A production to the United States --
creating high-value jobs in America, and ensuring that a very
capable helicopter is being delivered from an American manufacturer
for the US Army and other customers," said Ralph D. Crosby, Jr.,
EADS North America’s Chairman & CEO.
The Army has a requirement for up to 322 UH-72A Light Utility
Helicopters in a 10-year program with a total life-cycle value of
over $2 billion. This contract expands American Eurocopter’s
20-year heritage as a supplier to U.S. homeland security and law
enforcement agencies, including the US Coast Guard, US Customs and
Border Protection, the Drug Enforcement Agency, FBI, and numerous
state and local law enforcement agencies.
"Adding the UH-72A/EC145 to our production certificate is
another important step in developing American Eurocopter’s
capabilities for operators in the US marketplace," explained
American Eurocopter President & CEO Marc Paganini. "We received
the FAA production certificate in 2005 for the AS350 B2 and B3
helicopters, which are also being built as US-made aircraft at
Columbus for the Department of Homeland Security’s Customs
and Border Protection, law enforcement agencies and other users
across the country."
To accommodate its UH-72A industrial activity, the Columbus
factory is expanding to a total covered area of 325,000 sq. ft, and
its workforce is growing to approximately 330 employees. The
construction of two large new buildings is being completed,
creating additional area for the Lakota’s assembly hall,
flight line, paint shop, warehouse, administrative offices, flight
operations and flight test engineering.
The Columbus site is located adjacent to Golden Triangle
Regional Airport, and was inaugurated in 2004. It began operations
with a staff of 44 persons and initial 92,000-sq. feet of
facilities for helicopter assembly, parts manufacturing and
administrative offices.
Production of the UH-72A/EC145 originated at Eurocopter’s
Donauworth, Germany plant, with aircraft for the US market
delivered as kits to Mississippi, for reassembly. American
Eurocopter is now able to phase in the manufacturing, build-up,
flight test and certification of UH-72As/EC145s at Columbus and
deliver these helicopters to US customers with full US
certification.
UH-72As have been operational with the US Army since earlier
this year. The initial Lakotas are assigned to the National
Training Center Air Ambulance Detachment at Ft. Irwin, CA and the
Training and Doctrine Command at Fort Monroe, VA.
As ANN reported, a recent
Pentagon study -- based largely on the findings of the first crews
at Ft. Irwin -- indicated some modifications would need to be made
to the Lakota before the helicopter was approved for full-scale
deployment.
The Army’s Light Utility Helicopter fleet will be used
primarily within the US for homeland security operations, medical
evacuation, passenger/logistics transportation and drug
interdiction missions. Many will be deployed to Army National Guard
units in locations throughout the country, allowing
older-generation helicopters to be retired and freeing up larger
rotary-wing aircraft for assignment to other duties.