National Guard Unveils New Lakota Helicopters at Fort Indiantown Gap

American Forces Press Service ^ | Donna Miles

[SandRat]

FORT INDIANTOWN GAP, Pa., July 18, 2008 – Officials at the National Guard’s Eastern Aviation Training Site here yesterday unveiled the new UH-72A Lakota light utility helicopter, for which they will become the military’s sole trainers.

The new UH-72A Lakota light utility helicopter sits on the tarmac at the National Guard’s Eastern Aviation Training Site at Fort Indiantown Gap, Pa. The facility will provide all aviator and aircrew training on the new aircraft. Photo by Army Pfc. Coltin Heller  
(Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available.

This central Pennsylvania post will be the only Army training site for the military’s newest light utility helicopter, which entered service in 2006 for homeland security and other non-combat missions, said Army Spc. Matt Jones, a full-time National Guard employee at the site.

Ultimately, the Lakota will replace UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters to be transferred for operational missions, as well as the last of the Vietnam-vintage UH-1 Huey helicopters that remain in the military arsenal, Jones said.

The Lakota is the military version of the Eurocopter EC-145 commercial aircraft, designed to fly light general support operations such as civil search and rescue, personnel recovery, evacuation, counter-drug and limited civil command and control operations for the Department of Homeland Security. It carries up to 11 people.

Pilots who fly the twin-turbine aircraft reported it’s a powerful aircraft that handles well in all weather conditions, including storms that most aviators avoid. The Lakota also burns significantly less fuel than the Black Hawk or other similar aircraft, Jones said.

But unlike the Black Hawk, the Lakota is not designed to operate in combat environments and is considered non-deployable, Jones said.

Army Gen. Richard A. Cody, Army vice chief of staff, accepted the Army's first Lakota helicopter during a December 2006 ceremony in Columbus, Miss. Cody said the Lakota “is not only serving as a catalyst for change across the Army, it is also accelerating the speed of Army aviation modernization and integration with other services and government agencies.”

The Army National Guard is slated to receive most of the 322 Lakota aircraft to enter the inventory.

The Fort Indiantown Gap training site received its first Lakota aircraft last month and its second about two weeks ago. Army Col. Timothy Hilty, who commands the site, said two more Lakotas are due by the year’s end, with another four arriving by 2012.

Instructors from the Army Aviation Center at Fort Rucker, Ala., and Fort Indiantown Gap are already leading the first training course. A high-tech simulator at the training site and a cockpit trainer with a wrap-around screen provide realistic training conditions, Jones said.

Pennsylvania’s Adjutant General, Army Maj. Gen. Jessica L. Wright, said the Eastern Army National Guard Aviation Training Site has a history of providing excellent training and promised those trained here will receive “the best training possible.”

The aircraft will also be available to respond to emergencies, as needed, she said.

[Snickersnee]

Brother copter to Hartford Hospital’s “LifeStar” — of which we have two. Hard-working bird.

[Yo-Yo]

The Lakota is the military version of the Eurocopter EC-145 commercial aircraft, designed to fly light general support operations such as civil search and rescue, personnel recovery, evacuation, counter-drug and limited civil command and control operations for the Department of Homeland Security. It carries up to 11 people.

Couldn't the US buy an AMERICAN helicopter?

[PLMerite]

“Couldn’t the US buy an AMERICAN helicopter?”

Yeah, if they wanted to waste ten years and a hundred million dollars developing it.

[Ramius]

Seems sensible enough. Need a good light helo for utility work and the blackhawk is a bit much for that sort of thing.

[Ramius]

They should buy the best helicopter for the money. If that’s this one, then so be it.

Anything else is irresponsible.

[hosepipe]

[ But unlike the Black Hawk, the Lakota is not designed to operate in combat environments and is considered non-deployable, Jones said. ]

Put a gatling gun on it and katie clear the barn..

[stboz]

Made in Mississippi, ya’ll!

[PAR35]

Couldn't the US buy an AMERICAN helicopter?

I appreciate the fact that many of us still think of us as Confederates down here, but Lincoln settled the issue over a hundred years ago.

[Captain Rhino]

It’s obviously a modified COTS/NDI acquisition. Made by EAD North America in Columbus, Mississippi. (http://www.uh-72a.com/about/overview.asp)

(COTS/NDI = Commercial-Off-The-Shelf/Non-Developmental Item).

Don’t know any of the details about the competition to fill the requirement. The EADS win might have been part of a reciprical purchase agreement to payback our European allies for all the U.S. equipment they’ve purchased. U.S. competing entries might have been too expensive, noncompetitive on performance, or required more development than DoD wanted to pay for. The fact that it shares commonality with DHS aircraft may have been a factor.

Getting excited about this is like getting excited about all those low and mid-price US-made Japanese cars and trucks Americans buy.

Be more concerned about the development of the replacements for the AH-64 Apache, the AH-1 Cobra, and whatever is going to fill the mission requirement of the canceled RAH-66 Comanche. We are going to spend billions developing these combat helicopters and we will buy multiple thousands of them.

[cmdr straker]

Think Bell or Hughes would have been a better bet than buying and sending money to EADS for there corruption and bribe money slush funds that undermine American industry and jobs.

[Oztrich Boy]

Couldn't the US buy an AMERICAN helicopter?

My guess is athat as Boeing didn't have a hog in the fight, this comepetition was deciced on the merits

[Oztrich Boy]

Think Bell or Hughes would have been a better bet than buying and sending money to EADS for there corruption and bribe money slush funds that undermine American industry and jobs.

What I said a year sgo http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1881203/posts?page=50#50

At rough guess Bell 412 too old (there's a limit to how much you can upgrade a 50s design): [Augusta-Westland]139 too big: Hughes 900 too small: EC-145 just right.

"right-sized" : I seem to have heard that a lot lately

[cmdr straker]

At rough guess Bell 412 too old (there’s a limit to how much you can upgrade a 50s design): [Augusta-Westland]139 too big: Hughes 900 too small: EC-145 just right.

“right-sized” : I seem to have heard that a lot lately

Size don’t matter if it cannot do the job. And fails to meet basic RFP requirements

should have gone with the MD902
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MD_900

hate seeing all that money going to EADS..