Airbus Helicopters UH-72

Airbus Helicopters UH-72A Lakota
UH-72A "Lakota" of the United States Army
Type:	Multipurpose helicopter
Design country:	Germany
Manufacturer:	Airbus Helicopters
First flight:	June 12, 1999
Commissioning:	December 2006
Production time:	In series production since 2006
Number of pieces:	planned: 412 produced: 400 (as of October 2017)

The UH-72A Lakota is a light twin-engine, multi -role helicopter made by Airbus Helicopters . The machine, designated by the factory as UH-145M, is a variant of the EC 145 adapted to military requirements . It is used for tasks in the areas of patient transport ( MedEvac ), search and rescue flights ( SAR ) and for general material and passenger transport.

history

In 2006, EADS won the United States Army and Army National Guard tender for the new light multipurpose helicopter with the UH-145 . The machine, designated by the United States Armed Forces as the UH-72A Lakota , replaces the outdated Bell UH-1 Iroquois multipurpose helicopter .

The UH-72A, the main contract partner of the US Army, is offered by EADS North America Defense , a division of EADS North America , whose wholly-owned subsidiary American Eurocopter manufactures the helicopter in Columbus (Mississippi, USA). Among other suppliers, u. a. These companies are involved as partners in the LUH program: Sikorsky for logistics and support, Westwind Technologies for system integration and engineering services and CAE (Canada), which is responsible for the cockpit trainer.

Initially, 322 copies were ordered. The first machines were manufactured in Germany and final assembly in the United States until the production line was fully expanded for series production in August 2007. The unit price is said to be $ 5.57 million.

A UH-72A used as a medical rescue helicopter for the Nebraska Army National Guard

During test flights by the United States Army for patient transports, temperatures inside the UH-72 were too high. To operate as a rescue helicopter with two stretchers, air conditioning systems were installed that are also used in the civilian EC 145. Patients or wounded are loaded into the helicopter through the two rear doors. In addition, the rescue version of the UH-72 was equipped with military radio systems and in some cases with foreign matter separators for the air inlets.

Five H-72A machines with an order value of US $ 21.7 million were also ordered by the United States Navy on September 12, 2008 for their United States Naval Test Pilot School and have already been delivered. They replaced helicopters on loan from the United States Army. The first copy was shipped to the United States Navy on November 12, 2009. The H-72A differs from the UH-72A in that it features drop doors, a folding mechanism for the main rotor and an air traffic advisory system . A flight recorder was also installed.

The first five machines for the United States Army in Europe were delivered to the TASM-E, 405th Army Field Support Brigade at Ramstein Air Base in April 2010 .

As a training machine, 100 UH-72A were reordered for the United States Army in 2014. In 2015, the United States Army moved over 50 helicopters to Fort Rucker , Alabama, to prepare for training on this type. In January 2016 it was announced that the United States Army had contracted Airbus Helicopters to deliver twelve more Lakotas. The additional helicopters will also be completed at Airbus Helicopters Inc. in Columbus, Mississippi, where almost 350 helicopters of this type have already been assembled, and should be delivered from August 2017. The USA placed two further orders for 35 and 16 UH-72A in March 2018.

Military users

 Thailand

Royal Thai Army : 6 UH-72A (9 more planned)

 United States

United States Army / Army National Guard : 478 UH-72A (incoming until 2022)

United States Navy : 5 H-72A

Technical specifications

UH-72A as a training helicopter for the United States National Guard .

	Parameter	Data
Dimensions	Length over all	12.98 m
	Hull length	10.16 m
	Rotor diameter	11.00 m
	Tail rotor diameter	1.96 m
	height	3.42 m
	width	3.12 m (hull: 1.85 m)
	Cabin (L × W × H)	3.12 x 1.70 x 1.27 m
Drive and performance	Engines	2 × Turboméca Arriel 1E2 with 550 kW each
	Top speed	268 km / h
	Cruising speed	~ 240 km / h
	Max. Range	685 km without reserve
	Hover	3445/2745 m (with / without ground effect )
	Service ceiling	5240 m
	Rate of climb	8.1 m / s
Crowds	Max. Takeoff mass	3585 kg
	Empty mass	~ 1800 kg
	payload	6 people or up to 1793 kg (including pilot 80 kg and fuel) or max. 1500 kg external load (on winch 270 kg)
Armament		4 missiles (military version)

See also

• List of helicopter types

Web links

Commons : Airbus Helicopters UH-72 Lakota  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

• Eurocopter: Manufacturer's website EC 145
• EADS: UH-72A website

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Airbus Helicopters delivers 400th UH-72A to US Army. FlugRevue.de , October 9, 2017, accessed October 10, 2017 . 
2. ↑ Airbus Helicopters delivers 400th UH-72A Lakota to US Army. Airbus.com , October 9, 2017, accessed October 10, 2017 . 
3. ^ Huey Finally Bows Out Strategy Page , accessed November 20, 2011.
4. ↑ EADS.com press release  ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) dated November 9, 2006
5. ↑ UH-72A for NTPS , AIR International, 11/2008, p. 12.
6. ↑ First H-72A delivered to US Navy , AIR International, 5/2010, p. 15.
7. ↑ DefPro.com US Army's UH-72A helicopters now flying in Europe ( Memento from April 29, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) from April 26, 2010
8. ↑ defensenews.com: Airbus: US Army's Extra Lakota Helicopter Buy Boosts Foreign Sale Potential , accessed May 7, 2014
9. ↑ Twelve more UH-72A . In: European Security & Technology 1/2016. P. 76.
10. ^ Columbus Aircraft Facility awarded $ 273.2M Army helicopter contract, USA Today, March 9, 2018
11. ↑ US Army ups Lakota helo buy again, Janes, March 22, 2018 ( Memento from May 31, 2018 in the Internet Archive )
12. ↑ US Army ups Lakota helo buy again. Janes, March 4, 2020
13. ↑ FlugRevue November 2008, pp. 54–57, Eurocopter EC-145 wears uniform