Service With The U.S. Army, Army National Guard

The UH-72A Lakota Light Utility Helicopter has surpassed the 40,000-flight hour milestone in operational service with the U.S. Army and Army National Guard. A total of 138 Lakotas have been delivered to date for fielding to Army and Army National Guard units, which also includes five for the U.S. Navy. This rotary-wing aircraft is operated by active duty Army and Army National Guard units in missions that include medical evacuation (MEDEVAC), search and rescue, drug interdiction, VIP transport and general aviation support.

File Photo

“This new milestone once again demonstrates the UH-72A’s capability to meet our warfighters’ needs in a full range of missions and demanding operating conditions,” said Sean O’Keefe, CEO of EADS North America. “The Lakota’s 40,000 flight hours also underscores our company’s dedication to deliver on  its commitments to the U.S. Army – which has been a top priority for us since being selected for the Lakota program in 2006.”

The majority of UH-72As delivered to date are based at locations from coast to coast in the United States. Other deployments have placed Lakotas with the National Guard in Puerto Rico, at the Army’s Joint Multinational Readiness Center (JMRC) in Germany, and on the Pacific Ocean’s Kwajalein Atoll in
support of the Army’s Ronald Reagan Ballistic Missile Defense Test Site. The fleet of Lakotas has consistently achieved an operational readiness rate greater than 90 percent.

American Eurocopter, an operating unit of EADS North America, has built a dedicated assembly line for the Light Utility Helicopter at its rotary-wing center of excellence adjacent to the Golden Triangle Regional Airport. A total of 345 UH-72As are planned for acquisition by the U.S. Army through 2015.

 
File Photo

In addition to the 40,000 flight hours accumulated by the U.S. Army’s UH-72As, another 600 hours have been logged by five H-72A versions of the Lakota operated at the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School at Patuxent River Naval Air Station, MD. These helicopters are used for training test pilots from the U.S. military and allied countries.

FMI: www.army.mil, www.eurocopter.com