The Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) Patuxent River, Md., is working to join the Army’s contract with European Aeronautic Defense and Space Co. (EADS) North America, and spend about $30 million to buy five new H-72 Lakota helicopters for the Naval Test Pilot School.
“The Army has a $3 billion contract with EADS North America to buy 345 of the H-72s for their Light Utility Helicopter replacement program,” Capt. James Wallace, program manager for the Support and Commercial Derivative Aircraft Program Office (PMA-207), said. “NAVAIR is working with the Army to use this same contract to buy the five Lakotas for TPS. NAVAIR’s cost for the five Lakotas and their support and maintenance costs total approximately $30 million.”
Army Col. Neil Thurgood, project manager Utility Helicopters, said: “This program is a great opportunity for further cooperation between the U.S. Navy and the Army in the area of aviation. The success of the Light Utility Helicopter program makes this possible by being able to provide the necessary aircraft in the desired timeframe without any affect on the Army’s needs and requirements.”
The helicopter, the H-72, produced by the EADS North America, would replace the Vietnam-era TH-6B Cayuse helicopter, originally built by Hughes, now Boeing [BA], used by the Test Pilot School since the early 1990’s.
The youngest of the TPS TH-6’s were built for the Army in 1968, where they often served as light observation platforms in Vietnam.
“The six TH-6’s have served TPS very well over their 17 years of service but they were tired aircraft and in real need of replacement,” Capt. James Glass, commanding officer, U.S. Naval Test Pilot School, said in a statement. “We are working towards accepting the Lakotas at TPS in 2009.”
The H-72 Lakota is a commercial off-the-self Eurocopter EC-145. Adding a flight test data collection package is the only modification required to meet TPS requirements. The TPS Lakotas will also have air conditioning, jettison-able crew doors, underwater locator beacon, Traffic Collision Avoidance System, a fixed beam cargo hook, and upgraded skid steps- -all are standard options available on the EC-145.
“The advanced features of the H-72 are critical to preparing rotary wing test pilots to perform testing on advanced helicopters. TPS is the Department of Defense’s rotary wing test pilot school. The school trains pilots from the Army, Air Force, Marine Corps, Navy, Coast Guard, and multiple international partners,” Glass said. “The H-72’s features and capabilities match those of current and future rotary wing systems far better than the TH-6 and will ensure TPS graduates are prepared to test them.”
For the Army, UH-72A Lakotas will be used primarily within the United States for homeland security operations, medical evacuation (MEDEVAC), passenger/logistics transportation and drug interdiction missions. Lakotas delivered to the National Guard will allow older helicopters to be retired and aircraft such as UH-60 Black Hawks, produced bySikorsky [UTX], to be released for other duties including deployment to Iraq and Afghanistan.
The Lakota’s name follows a DoD regulation that designations for new Army helicopters be Native American in origin. Authorization for the Lakota name included approval from a majority of the council members that form the Sioux Nation. The H-72 Lakota is built on two production lines, American Eurocopter in Columbus, Miss. and at Eurocopter’s main facility in Donauworth, Germany.