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The UH-72A Light Utility Helicopter is recognized for program excellence and mission readiness by the U.S. Army

October 5, 2009

With American Eurocopter’s UH-72A Lakota production line at full-rate output, the U.S. Army continues to give high marks to this new Light Utility Helicopter as deliveries surpass the 85 aircraft milestone and the deployed fleet accumulates more than 17,500 flight hours.

Col. Neil Thurgood, the U.S. Army’s Utility Helicopter Project Manager, provided a UH-72A program update for journalists attending the AUSA annual meeting and convention.

At a Washington, D.C. briefing for journalists today, the U.S. Army’s utility helicopter project manager called the UH-72A a “highly successful” program and a “tremendous effort” – with the Lakota maintaining an overall operational readiness rate of 93 percent.

Col. Neil Thurgood said every UH-72A delivered to date has been provided on time, within budget and on schedule.  This program excellence has been reinforced by American Eurocopter’s successful creation of the U.S. production line for Lakota in Columbus, Mississippi, which has stimulated employment and brought additional supply chain management to the U.S.

Speaking to reporters at the Association of the United States Army’s (AUSA) 2009 annual meeting, Thurgood said Lakota program prime contractor EADS North America is delivering four to five Lakotas every month from the Columbus facility, with these aircraft going both to Army and National Guard units across the country.

“Because the program has moved rapidly from idea to fielding, Congress has recognized this success and accelerated the UH-72A’s acquisition process,” he added.  “The last of our planned 345 Lakotas originally were to have been completed in 2016, but the planning is now to produce the final five in 2015.”

The deployed Light Utility Helicopter fleet is flying disaster relief, support and other missions, with these aircraft equipped both in MEDEVAC and passenger transport configurations.  Future uses will include homeland security, homeland defense and civil law enforcement support, incorporating a mission equipment package that includes an electro-optical infrared sensor, data communications suite, moving map display, digital video recorder and a searchlight.

Among the 86 Lakotas delivered to date is the first of five H-72As for pilot training with the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School at Patuxent River Naval Air Station, Maryland.  Thurgood said he sees the potential for other UH-72A applications within the U.S. armed services, along with opportunities for exports through government-authorized foreign military sales.

Nearly 500 Army pilots and maintainers have been trained so far by American Eurocopter.  Contractor logistics support and engineering services are provided by Helicopter Support International (a Sikorsky subsidiary) and American Eurocopter. 

A full-motion flight training device for UH-72A pilots is in operation at American Eurocopter’s Grand Prairie, Texas headquarters facility, and two cockpit procedures trainers built by CAE in Florida are now with the U.S. Army’s Eastern Aviation Training Site at Fort Indiantown Gap, Pennsylvania.

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