From the front page of Military.com:
COLUMBUS, Miss. — It’s an old adage that the Guard and Reserve are the red-headed step children of “Big Army.” It’s the guys on active duty that get the newest, shiniest, priciest piece of gear while the part-timers get the cast offs — last year’s equipment on its last legs.
Well, that’s about to change in a few weeks when the Army National Guard receives its first of 200 UH-72A Lakota helicopters to replace its inventory of Vietnam-era UH-1 Huey and OH-58 Kiowa utility helos and some UH-60 Blackhawks.
Yes, the Big Army’s already gotten about 20 of the new Lakotas to free up some of its Blackhawks for duty in Iraq, but the so-called “light utility helicopter” is purpose built for the Guard to use for domestic medivac situations and other state-assigned “general support” missions.
“For a lot of missions in the U.S. we don’t need a Blackhawk,” said Col. Neil Thurgood, director of the Army’s utility helicopters project office, during a visit to the manufacturer’s Columbus assembly plant May 9. “So, we’re going to save the taxpayers some money.”
Based on the Eurocopter EC-145 — a commercial bantam-weight helo used commonly for hospital “life-flight” missions — the UH-72 takes advantage of all the modern amenities typical of its class. With two engines, advanced rotors and a glass cockpit, pilots say the Lakota is easy — and safer — to fly than its predecessors, particularly the venerable Huey.
“I’ve been flying Hueys for years and you’ve got to be on the controls all the time,” Thurgood said. But with the Lakota’s advanced flight controls and auto pilot, “squeezing the stick the entire time” isn’t in the cards anymore.
“I was coming into the airfield and all I had to do was turn some knobs and dials until I was in a hover, the auto pilot did it all,” Thurgood added.
For Guard pilots who already have some stick time, it’ll be an easy transition to the UH-72, Army officials here said. Pilots will have to attend a 10-day course on the Lakota at a Eurocopter facility in Grand Prairie, Texas, before they fly their home-station birds, and maintainers will have to do roughly the same thing to get up to speed on the LUH’s modern systems.
New Guard pilots will simply leave initial flight training and attend the same 10-day course as their more experienced brethren.
“The transition won’t be a problem at all,” said Lt. Col. Jim Brashear, LUH product manager.
But a helicopter that program officials claim is one of the few Army aviation contracts that’s adhering to projected cost and schedule timelines does have some limitations. For one, the LUH isn’t built for a combat environment, so Guard units who deploy to a war zone won’t get to take their shiny new helos with them.
“They’ll still be able to fly their Blackhawks when they deploy,” said Keith Roberson, deputy director of the Army’s utility helicopters project office.
While officials here cite the LUH as an example of what can go right with an aviation program, the helo has seen its share of controversy. In July 2006, after the Army awarded the $3 billion contract to American Eurocopter — a subsidiary of European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company — competitor McDonnell Douglas Helicopters protested the decision, throwing the program’s future into doubt.
The UH-72 emerged from the fight unscathed, but critics later charged the aircraft was ill suited to some environments, including so-called “high-hot” conditions like mountaintop wildfires and the deserts of California.
“There are no areas in the United States that we think we can’t take this aircraft,” Roberson countered.
The Lakota is being manufactured partly in Germany; with final assembly here at this newly-built plant in rural Mississippi. Through the rest of this year, more of the aircraft will be assembled at the Columbus plant, with the entire end-to-end production of Lakotas coming from domestic manufacturers by mid-2009, officials say.
The Lakota’s foreign designers “are fulfilling their promise to shift production from Germany to the U.S.,” Thurgood said. “That’s contributing to our industrial base and our economy.”
– Christian
{ 15 comments… read them below or add one }
Oh no. Not another US service branch looking to a foreign supplier for a/c. I shall like to hear why the US Army is eye-ing a foreign supplier. Are they also considering a US supplier?
The lakota are built in Colombus, Mississipi. ;)
Eurocopter is associate with Sikorsky aircraft, West Wind Industries, CAE USA, Nordam group, Keith products, Thales USA, Wulfsbert Electronics, Honneywell, Goodrich, Aerolite, Armor Holdings, L3 communication and Turbomeca USA.
The Lakota isn’t a strategic material, it’s not a really problem if it’s a foreign cell.
The programm is 65% US.
I think US army choose the UH-145 because it’s the best helicopter to do this job, in the competition we found Bell412 EP, l’US139 (AW139), and the MD Explorer of MD Helicopters.
L’US139 was “oversize” like the Bell412. (6000Kg)
Eurocopter was the only firm had an 3000Kg helicopter
wake up and smell the globalization. You’ll be hard pressed to find a new project that will be over 80% American.
And that is a good thing….
Will the Lakota also replace the OH-58 in CD-RAID(Counterdrug Reconnaissance and Aerial Interdiction Detachment) operations? As far where they can or cannot operate,shouldn’t they be able to operate ANYWHERE that the civilian versions do? I never understood why civilian EC-145 have no air conditioning problems,but the UH-72 Lakota suddenly does? If the Lakota is supposed to be a primarily state-side only aircraft,why can’t it be configured like the civilian model? You know,when it comes to procurement,the DOD could even screw up a paper airplane or rubber band powered toy wooden airplane.
LighTning
Just from some info I’ve heard but, Westwind technologies is not associated with Europter. Although Westwind was listed on some ads and banners they never actually did any work or signed any contracts.
If we are going to have both a reserve and a national guard force, their missions and equipment should be distinguished.
The National Guard has a very different mission from the active duty military and should have its own procurement hub as a result.
The Reserves are appropriate a place for hand me downs, many of which were used while the soldiers in the reserves were on active duty.
Likewise, the reserves should be used more readily for foreign missions than the National Guard which also serves important domestic purposes.
“Just from some info I’ve heard but, Westwind technologies is not associated with Europter. Although Westwind was listed on some ads and banners they never actually did any work or signed any contracts”
Uh? I found these firm in a magazine… but it’s not the first time they are wrong… :(
You’ve got right:
http://www.uh-72a.com/pro_team/supplier_team.html
“For one, the LUH isn’t built for a combat environment, so Guard units who deploy to a war zone won’t get to take their shiny new helos with them.”
Well these should have been sold to the UN or Germany if they are not supposed to be used in combat. I mean why even paint them green? So new Guard pilots who get sent to the box will then have to be retrained on the Blackhawk. The OH-58 is quite the little war bird in both Iraq and Afghanistan. So, we are replacing it with a bird that is not meant for combat. Come on something seems wrong with that statement.
MGD,
Globalization is indeed a good thing but not when national security is on the line.
“I mean why even paint them green?”
Because conspiracy theorists like me would be very upset if they were painted black(Black Helicopters).
Wild Bill
The OH-58D is supposed to get replaced by the ARH eventually but the standard OH-58 utility aircraft will be replaced by more UH-72As and UH-60Ms. Basically the old 58s are being phased out by blackhawks and lakotas for utility while the ARH is supposed to replace the Kiowas. Rumor I’ve heard is that the ARH will be axed and the OH-58Ds may go through refurb/upgrade.
Folks ~ DoD & our Armed Services will rhue the configuration if they do NOT provide for WEAPONS STATIONS / wiring / space allocation for the Black Boxes of COMBAT. This new Bird will ultimately be required to perform in a HOSTILE ENVIRONMENT. It may be within the Borders of the USA if the Terrorists get a foothold. EVERY military aircraft should have an offensive capability now & in the future! Would somebody please wake-up the PENTAGON ?
wes weseleskey
Putting offensive capabilities on every aircraft makes no sense at all. If they put guns on all the LUHs they wouldn’t be able to buy as many. When the next natural disaster hits and we have only 75 instead of 125 LUHs to responde you may eat your words.
The LUH is not supposed to carry armed troops to combat. It’s designed for duty only in the USA or other noncombat areas. It’s duties will range from VIP transport to medical evac. This is like a lifeflight meets executive transport helicopter. Not a combat troop trans or gunship. It does not need guns.
Allow the Army to use it as it was designed.
The UH 72 was bought off the shelf from the EC 145. If an armed configuration was needed, EADS would have called it an EC 645 and added at least one more zero to the price making it custom and no longer off the shelf. At the moment armed configuration is not needed. When we need it our ground crews will rig whatever is needed, come on its not rocket science to add a couple of M240s…
8 atmophic seitive chips's plus a mulit relay swich. every time it wich's there a defreant flight
alatued a 8 flight pattern of one swich off the auto- pilot.