Army to send new helicopter to more sites

By Matthew Hickman
ARNEWS

	Photo by Jodie Whittington/ARNEWS The UH-72A Lakota helicopter replaced the Huey at Fort Belvoir, Va., Aug. 11, and is set to be fielded at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md., and various Army National Guard sites around the country in the next year.

WASHINGTON) — The Army extended the presence of the UH-72A Lakota Helicopter into the Military District of Washington, Aug. 11, as it replaced the UH-1 Iroquois Helicopter, or Huey, at Fort Belvoir’s Davison Army Airfield.

The Lakota light utility helicopter, a commercial aircraft produced in Columbus, Miss., is used by the Army to conduct homeland security and give administrative and logistic support to training centers. It began replacing the UH-60 Black Hawks in medical evacuation missions when they were sent to Fort Irwin, Calif., in 2007.

The helicopter has since been fielded at Fort Eustis, Va., Fort Polk, La., the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School in Maryland and the U.S. Military Academy in New York. It’s also being used outside of the continental United States in Puerto Rico, the Marshall Islands and by the Joint Multinational Readiness Center in Germany.

“We’re in the process of setting standards in how quickly we can get critical programs to our Soldiers in the field,” said Col. Neil Thurgood, the project manager for the Lakota helicopter.
One hundred thirteen helicopters have been fielded across the military to both active-duty and National Guard units, with most going to the Guard.

The Lakota continues to replace Black Hawks in non-combat operations, which can then be sent to Iraq and Afghanistan for missions. It also saves the Army money by easing maintenance issues that older Hueys experience.

The Lakota not only does a good job of supporting the mission, but also helps eliminate the Army’s fleet of aging aircraft, Thurgood said. “Both are important for the Army.”

The Lakota can be used during search and rescue operations in the aftermath of floods,
earthquakes and other natural disasters. It can also be used by the Army National Guard to perform counter-narcotics operations at the border. The primary mission depends on the aircraft’s variant, however.

The helicopter can be crafted in five specific variations. There is a very important person variant to fly senior leaders around; a MEDEVAC variant to conduct medical missions; a training-specific modification; a Guard-specific aircraft for homeland security; and a standard-package aircraft used for a variety of missions.

Sixty-two Lakota helicopters will be sent to 12 different sites next year.

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