ARMY AL&T
As of Feb. 28, 2010, 99 UH-72A Lakotas have been delivered to the Army. These have been fielded to ARNG units in 11 states and Puerto Rico. Medical evacuation (MEDEVAC) and general support units at the National Training Center and Joint Readiness Training Center (JRTC) have also received the UH-72A. Additionally, active Army units at Fort Rucker, AL; Fort Eustis, VA; and the U.S. Military Academy (USMA) have been fielded and will operate the new Lakota.
The UH-72A is replacing UH-60 Black Hawk, UH-1, and OH-58A/C heli- copters used by the ARNG and active Army. The UH-60s being replaced are freed up to support U.S. operations in Afghanistan and Iraq. The UH-72A is also a smaller, less costly aircraft that can still fulfill the missions the UH-60s were conducting in the U.S. The cost of supporting the UH-1 and OH-58A/C aircraft had been increasing over the last several years because of parts availability and old age; the UH-72A provides an alternative to these burdens.
LUH Program The LUH program was created as an outgrowth of the decision to end the Comanche program in spring 2004, by using the Comanche funding for the LUH. After a 1 year protest, a contract for production and support of the UH-72A was awarded to EADS-North America (EADS-NA) in June 2006. The original plan was for the procure- ment of 322 aircraft, but that has now increased to 345 with the majority (210 Lakotas) destined for the ARNG. The first delivery was in November 2006, just 5 months after contract award. The EADS-NA team has been able to deliver as many as five aircraft in any 1 month and remain on schedule and within the Army cost position.
There were two key components of the LUH program that led to such a rapid acquisition. The first
34 APRIL –JUNE 2010
UH-72A Lakotas are used to support training and certifi cation requirements, such as this freefall parachute certifi cation at Yuma Proving Ground, AZ. (U.S. Army photo by Matt Potter, UHPO.)
component was the decision to accept a commercial/NDI system that would be civil certified by the Federal Aviation Administration. The second component was the decision to use Contractor Logistics Support (CLS) to maintain the aircraft and provide pilot and enlisted maintenance training. Together, these components minimized the investment the Army has had to make in facilities, part supply, and training equipment. At active Army sites, the mechanics are contractor employees. This provides our Table of Distribution and Allowance units and test facilities with a simple “turnkey” operation and support structure. The ARNG uses Army mechanics to perform field-level maintenance with the assistance of Contractor Field Service Representatives and parts supplied by the EADS-NA team. The UH-72A fleet has achieved an Operational Availability (OA) rate of more than 90 percent.
The successful performance on this contract also led the U.S. Navy (USN) to purchase five aircraft to support the training of rotary-wing test pilots at the USN Test Pilot School (TPS) at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, MD. The TPS trains naval aviators and other U.S. service pilots, as well as those from our allies overseas. The UH-72A provides a highly capable and maneuverable aircraft to support the stressing requirements of the TPS testing. The EADS-NA team produced and delivered all five aircraft to the USN in January 2010, enabling the TPS sustainment of its aggressive training schedule.
UH-72A Configurations and Missions
The UH-72A is delivered in primarily two configurations. First is the standard, which seats two pilots and has six crew seats in the rear compartment. The second is the MEDEVAC configuration, which adds an external
The EADS-NA team has been able to deliver as many as fi ve aircraft in any 1 month and remain on schedule and within the Army cost position.
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