It is a contract to $1.5 billion for Airbus. The European aircraft manufacturer has just signed with the US Army to supply spare parts, equipment and technical support to the entire fleet of US Army UH-72A and UH-72B Lakota helicopters.
Airbus will provide support at 67 Lakota sites in the United States and overseas. This includes, in particular, the bases of the American National Guard. According to Calvin Lane, the U.S. Army Utilities Project Manager, “this contract underlines the army’s confidence in the aircraft’s capabilities“.
“We are honored to extend our relationship with the U.S. military for another five years“said Scott Tumpak, Vice President of the Military Helicopters Division at Airbus in the United States. The Eurocopter UH-72 Lakota is a militarized derivative of the Eurocopter EC145, and it is built by American Eurocopter, an Airbus subsidiary in Columbus, Mississippi.
The US Army uses the UH-72A and UH-72B models for a wide variety of missions, including counter-narcotics on the Mexican border. The first aircraft entered service fifteen years ago, and exceeded one million flight hours. The contract will be managed by Airbus US Space & Defense, based in Arlington, Virginia.