Additional UH-72A Lakotas for US Army
The US Army has exercised contract options worth $65.8 million for 12 additional UH-72A Lakota helicopters and associated mission equipment packages, Airbus Helicopters announced on 12 November.
The delivery of the aircraft will start in August 2017. The helicopters will be configured for the army as initial entry rotary-wing trainers.
The army has fielded over 50 Lakotas to Fort Rucker, Alabama, in preparation for the UH-72A’s formal introduction into the training curriculum by early 2016.
The UH-72A is deployed for a wide range of missions including search and rescue, training, medical evacuation, command and control, border security, VIP transport and general utility.
Allan McArtor, chairman and CEO, Airbus Group, said: ‘Time and again the UH-72A has proven to be the most cost-effective solution to meet a wide variety of needs for the US military and our allies. The army’s flawless execution of the Lakota programme has proven that even in today’s challenging defence acquisition environment, there are success stories for the taxpayer and warfighter alike.’
Chris Emerson, president and CEO, Airbus Helicopters, said: ‘Almost half the men and women who build the UH-72A in Mississippi are US military veterans, and some even fly in Lakotas in the National Guard or Reserves. Everyone on that production line takes a great amount of pride in their unbroken record of delivering on their commitments, and we hope they’ll be building Lakotas for many years to come.’
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