The 200th Helicopter First With Security And Support Package

The 200th UH-72A Lakota Light Utility Helicopter (LUH) was delivered Tuesday to the U.S. Army during a ceremony at American Eurocopter's production facility in Columbus, MS. “Today marks another significant milestone for the Lakota program,” said Sean O’Keefe, EADS North America Chairman and CEO. “The success of this program stems from the strong partnership we’ve built with the Department of Defense and the Army over the past seven years.”

The 200th Lakota helicopter is the first production aircraft to be delivered with the new Security and Support (S&S) Battalion Mission Equipment Package (MEP). Lakotas are produced at the company’s American Eurocopter facility in Columbus, Miss., which is the same facility where the initial S&S Battalion Lakotas were retrofitted. “The S&S Battalion-equipped Lakotas further demonstrate this proven platform’s ability for growth to support a much broader range of demanding missions, to ultimately include armed scout missions,” O’Keefe said.
 
The Lakotas equipped with the S&S Battalion MEP will be operated by Army National Guard units across the country. The enhanced capability provided by the MEP enables these units to seamlessly support state and local law enforcement and federal homeland security agencies in responding to natural disasters, law enforcement and border security operations.
 
Currently 52 Lakota helicopters will be produced in the Army’s S&S Battalion configuration, in addition to 16 Lakota helicopters being retrofitted to this configuration. The total anticipated number of S&S Battalion Lakotas will grow to 99 aircraft. EADS North America has now delivered 200 UH-72A Lakotas to the U.S. Army, on time and within budget, along with five H-72A versions to the U.S. Navy for test pilot training.

The S&S MEP contains a centerline electro-optical infrared (EO/IR) sensor, a 30 million candle power search light, analog/digital video downlink, rear observer’s console with a 15-inch display, an enhanced tactical communications suite, an onboard digital video recorder, 10.4-inch auxiliary displays for the pilot and co-pilot, and a video management system.

FMI: www.eadsnorthamerica.com