UH-72A Light Utility Helicopters come to Washington, D.C. for service with the Army National Guard
March 12, 2009
EADS North America marked a new milestone in its UH-72A Lakota program with the first deliveries of medical evacuation-capable (MEDEVAC) Light Utility Helicopters for the U.S. Army National Guard.
These aircraft are being provided to the District of Columbia National Guard, which marked the Lakota’s arrival in the nation’s capital at a formal ceremony today in the Washington, D.C. Armory.
Two UH-72A Lakotas for the D.C. National Guard fly in formation over Washington, D.C. The helicopters will be used for a range of aviation support missions, including MEDEVAC (medical evacuation), homeland security, support and logistics.
“The UH-72A is the result of a great relationship that the U.S. Army has with its Lakota industry team,” said Gen. Craig R. McKinley, chief of the National Guard Bureau. “The District of Columbia and the surrounding states will surely appreciate having this equipment here, and the medical response capability they bring will be significant. Our nation needs the newest, best equipment possible, and we thank EADS North America for its great partnership with the Department of Defense on this project.”
A total of eight Lakotas will be operated by the D.C. National Guard on missions that range from homeland security and military support flights to assistance for civil authorities. Six are to be flown by the 121st Medical Company (Air Ambulance) as replacements for its UH-1 rotary-wing aircraft, and two others will be assigned to the 1-224th Aviation Battalion (Security and Support) – which currently has OH-58s.
The MEDEVAC-configured UH-72As carry two stretchers, plus the associated medical equipment and systems. Two medics are positioned in rear-facing seats behind the pilot and co-pilot.
While other MEDEVAC-capable Lakotas have been provided since 2006 to the Army’s active component, the D.C. National Guard becomes the initial Guard unit with these aircraft.
EADS North America Chairman and CEO Ralph D. Crosby, Jr. (at center right) discusses the UH-72A capabilities with Gen. Craig R. McKinley, Chief of the National Guard Bureau (center, left); Chief Warrant Officer 3 Chris Rindal (left), who is a pilot/instructor on the UH-72A; and Maj. Gen. Errol R. Schwartz, Commanding General, District of Columbia National Guard.
To date, more than 50 UH-72As have been delivered by EADS North America in a key U.S. Army modernization program that remains on schedule, on budget and on performance – and which recently was recognized as one of the military’s six “gold star” acquisition programs by John J. Young, Jr., the U.S. Defense Department’s Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics.
“As demonstrated by the UH-72A, EADS North America has the capabilities to contribute to our country’s homeland and national security – and we’re proud to do so with the Army, as well as with the U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Customs and Border Protection and other government agencies,” explained Ralph D. Crosby, Jr., EADS North America’s chairman and CEO.
Crosby noted that in addition to EADS’ growing role as a supplier of aircraft, radars and other hardware to the United States, the company also is the largest single customer for America’s aerospace industry – buying $11 billion worth of equipment, subsystems and components every year, which helps support 200,000 jobs. “At a time when we are focused on economic stimulus for the U.S., EADS does play an important role,” he added.
The D.C. National Guard’s first three UH-72As were flown to the nation’s capital region on March 5, departing from the Lakota production facility in Columbus, Mississippi – which is operated by EADS North America’s American Eurocopter business unit. They will be followed next month by the remaining three aircraft for the 121st Medical Company, while the 1-224th Aviation Battalion’s two Lakotas are scheduled for delivery in 2012.
Lt. Col. Maureen E. Bellamy, who is the D.C. National Guard’s State Aviation Officer, said the UH-72A provides significantly improved mission capabilities, as well as enhanced operating safety when compared to the aging UH-1s and legacy OH-58s.
The D.C. National Guard’s UH-72A prepares to touch down at the corner of Independence Avenue and 19th Street behind the city’s Armory facility. It is one of six Lakotas that will be assigned to the 121st Medical Company (Air Ambulance).
“The Lakota’s much more responsive main rotor system gives a very smooth ride and great handling, while the two engines offer redundancy – which is a significant factor when flying over dense urban areas like the District of Columbia, where safe landing areas are not readily available,” Bellamy said. “The aircraft’s outstanding avionics package allows us to communicate directly with the first responders – law enforcement agencies, fire departments, hospitals and others – something that our old radios did not allow us to do.”
Bellamy said Army aviators give high marks to the UH-72A’s glass cockpit and its state-of-the-art instrument package, which includes an autopilot and dual GPS (one of which is linked to the autopilot).
Another operational plus cited by Bellamy is the UH-72A’s lighter weight and smaller footprint – which allows the rotary-wing aircraft to maneuver in close while producing less rotor wash than larger helicopters. “It clearly makes operations safer and easier at hospital helipads and anywhere else where the landing zone is small,” she added.
This capability was illustrated by yesterday’s touchdown of the UH-72As behind the D.C. National Guard Armory, which was made on an intersection’s corner while traffic continued to flow just yards away.
Both UH-72As displayed at the D.C. Armory delivery event were fully equipped for their MEDEVAC role – outfitted with two stretches and medical bags, as well as side-wall mounted suction equipment, a ventilator and monitors for patients’ vital signs. Two oxygen tanks installed on the inside of the helicopter’s rear clamshell doors are supplemented by a cabin bag with additional oxygen.
All of the D.C. National Guard’s UH-72As will be based at Fort Belvoir’s Davison Army Airfield, which is located across the Potomac River in Virginia. They will be joined at this facility by eight more Lakotas assigned to the Military District of Washington.
Of the 345 UH-72As planned for acquisition by the U.S. Army through 2016, approximately 200 are expected to be assigned to Army National Guard units throughout the United States. Of this total, some 25 percent will be configured for MEDEVAC missions.
• For additional information on the start-up of UH-72A deliveries to the D.C. National Guard, see EADS North America’s press release.
