The Army's new Light Utility Helicopter UH-72A Lakota will primarily be used by the National Guard in support of homeland security missions. Photo by Courtesy
Posted on 12/12/2006 11:11:42 AM PST by cll
The Army's new Light Utility Helicopter UH-72A Lakota will primarily be used by the National Guard in support of homeland security missions. Photo by Courtesy
An European helicopter for the U.S. Army.
Looks like a standard issue meatflight helicopter.
Is there anything named for Crazy Horse?.........
Lakota would make a nice name for a Jeep vehicle..............
Now only if they pay for these new choppers with CASINO money we;re all set.
Kind of like the presidents new helo, the US101...the US101, is based on a British-Italian AgustaWestland aircraft, now owned by Finmeccanica, several key components, including the main transmission and rotor blades, that will be built overseas.
Army aircraft are named after tribes (Iroquois (Huey), Kiowa, Apache, Cheyenne, Huron, Black Hawk, etc.) not after chiefs.
But I had a Huey once that was a crazy horse.
Are you kidding? The tribes are spending the casino monies on Hard Rock investments!...........
So what is that, a modified Eurocopter EC-135 or EC-145?
}:-)4
And that is ACTUAL SIZE.
Outstanding for infiltration of the new class of very short Special Forces Operators.
It's a descendant of the ol' German BK 117, I'll look up the current designation.
http://www.eurocopterusa.com/Product/ec145/EC145.asp
Oops. Working link:
http://www.eurocopterusa.com/Product/ec145/EC145.asp
It's the EC-145.
"Lakota would make a nice name for a Jeep vehicle.............."
Especially so if it doesn't look like a Hummer.
Euro-tin indeed
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UH-145
Based on a known good design, at least they got something for the money - from the failed Comanche project of all things.
We will have to wait a while to see if this replacment for the OH-58 (DeathRanger) will have a better safety record. The EC-145, based o the MBB/BK117 has a pretty good record for the aerovac business.
This also begs the question, will the Army surplus out low-time -58s to local governments?
It's a modified version of the Eurocopter EC-145. Contract was won by EADS North America in April. I expect the initial deliveries will come from Europe until EADS gets their North American factory running.
We'll probably see a few of those ending up in the Dominican Republic and Colombia.
It will be fun to watch all those -58 pilots learning how to fly with opposite pedal inputs and handling the extra power.
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