Comments on: US Army Aviation Plots Its Future

By: TB

TB — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 15:06:00 +0000

Charles,
The Lakota isn’t a combat helicopter (which is why most are going to the Guard). It is mostly meant for stateside utility work and can do the work some Blackhawks are doing now.

By: JEFF

JEFF — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 13:56:36 +0000

And when are we going to get replacements for the ancient CH-47’s, AH-64’s, OH-58D’s and UH-60’s?
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The aircraft are not “ancient”, the oldest on your list are the OH-58D which were supposed to be replaced with the ARH program but that got screwed. CH-47Fs and UH-60M are brand new and the AH-64Ds are not very old at all. The airframe designs are not brand new but they are far from ancient. Ask the troops using them, they love the new CH-47F and the UH-60Ms.

By: Dawn Rupert

Dawn Rupert — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 12:51:04 +0000

““So, they’re growing the pilot training class by dropping 200 students? Good use of money!
Typos are bad. Helicopters are good.”“
Posted by: AMMO at October 14, 2009 05:13 AM
Please re-read the comment. It was oddly worded, but it was correct. I had to look at it twice, too. I agree with your helicopters are good, tho…
Waveband

By: AMMO

AMMO — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 10:13:18 +0000

So, they’re growing the pilot training class by dropping 200 students? Good use of money!
Typos are bad. Helicopters are good.

By: Mike

Mike — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 03:40:16 +0000

Aka the Kiowa right?

By: Thunderhorse19

Thunderhorse19 — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 02:30:39 +0000

Figuring our the right mix for the Army has been an age-old challenge since the Korean War. Why does the Army have LUH's? Didn't we have Huey's for over 50 years? The Air Force, Navy and Marines still buy the twin-engined UH-1N/H-1's (Bell 212's), but the Army kept purchasing the single-engine UH-1 from 1956-81. Wouldn't it have been more cost effective to buy, modify and upgrade the UH-1N, as the Marines did? And when are we going to get replacements for the ancient CH-47's, AH-64's, OH-58D's and UH-60's?

By: Jim Harrelson

Jim Harrelson — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 01:56:51 +0000

find my password, unable to log on.jh

By: Charles

Charles — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 18:23:23 +0000

“…Every LUH fielded, says Col. Neil Thurgood, the Army’s Utility Helicopter program manager, frees up another Black Hawk to be sent into combat…“
Does that imply when a unit that is fielding LUH’s goes into combat, it must ditch the helicopters it has trained with for other helicopters it hasn’t trained with?
The LUH helicopter contract is 3 billion for 322 helicopters (obviously this includes development costs). Blackhawk is mature, and supposedly is ~6–10 million per helicopter, but I’m not sure about this number. Any ideas on the per unit cost of the LUH?