Airbus to make more Lakotas for US Army
Airbus Helicopters Inc (AHI) has received a $74 million contract modification from the US Army to produce 15 UH-72A Lakota helicopters, with the option for three more.
The deal, announced by the DoD on 23 July, also includes 18 jettisonable cockpit doors, 14 engine inlet barrier filters and 14 environmental control units.
AHI will carry out the work at Grand Prairie, Texas, for completion by 31 August 2022.
According to Shephard Defence Insight, a total of 444 Lakotas are in service with the US Army.
The Lakota has been used in a wide range of missions such as general utility, SAR, medevac and border security, but its core role is training. The helicopter is the primary rotary-wing trainer for the US Army Aviation Center of Excellence at Fort Rucker.
The army retains some TH-67s for this purpose, but it should be fully converted to the Lakota by the end of FY2022.
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