UH-72 Lakota
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| UH-72A Lakota | |
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| The Army's new UH-72A Lakota will primarily be used by the National Guard in support of homeland security missions. | |
| Type | Light utility helicopter |
| Manufacturer | Eurocopter North America |
| Status | Currently in production |
| Primary user | United States Army |
| Developed from | Eurocopter EC 145 |
The UH-72A Lakota is United States Army light utility helictoper that entered service in 2006, built by American Eurocopter division of EADS North America.
It is military version of the Eurocopter EC 145 modified to the LUH requirments. In June 2006, the US Army selected it as the winner of its Light Utility Helicopter (LUH) program with a over 300+ aircraft fleet planned.
Contents |
[edit] History
[edit] Backround
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 Commanche termination were the UH-60M and the CH-47F upgrade programs.
[edit] 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 BK117) 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.
[edit] 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]
[edit] Specifications (UH-72A)
This aircraft article is missing some (or all) of its specifications. If you have a source, you can help Wikipedia by adding them.General characteristics
- Crew: 2 pilots
- Capacity: 8 troops or 2 stretchers and medical crew
- Length: 42 ft 8 in (13.03 m)
- Rotor diameter: 36 ft 1 in (11.00 m)
- Height: 11 ft 4 in (3.45 m)
- Disc area: 1023 sq ft (94.98 m2)
- Empty weight: 3,950 lb (1,792 kg)
- Useful load: 3,953 lb (1,793 kg)
- Max takeoff weight: 7,903 lb (3,585 kg)
- Powerplant: 2× Turbomeca Arriel IE2 turboshafts, 738 shp (551 kW) each
Performance
- Maximum speed: 145 kts (167 mph, 269 km/h)
- Range: 370 nm (426 miles, 685 km)
- Service ceiling: 18,000 ft (5,791 m)
[edit] External links
- EADS North America's LUH proposal
- EADS North America
- MDHI's LUH proposal
- LUH Program (Global Security)
- LUH competition contenders
[edit] 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
[edit] Related content
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Air forces · Aircraft weapons · Missiles · Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) · Experimental aircraft
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