The US Army has placed a second tranche order for the UH-72B Lakota, awarding Airbus Helicopters a contract covering additional production of the light utility rotorcraft. The deal, awarded on 14 August, is worth $140 million and covers 10 firm orders with options for two more aircraft.
The helicopters are to be assembled at Airbus' facility in Columbus, Mississippi, with deliveries scheduled to begin in 2027 and continue through 2029. The order adds to the first tranche of 18 aircraft, which entered service with the Army National Guard in 2021 and are used for medical evacuation, surveillance and disaster-response missions.
What separates the B-model
The UH-72B is a modernised successor to the UH-72A, which Airbus began delivering to the US Army in 2006. Both rotorcraft are based on the Airbus Helicopters H145 civil type, one of the most widely operated light twins in emergency medical service worldwide.
Two changes stand out on the newer variant. The UH-72B features a five-blade main rotor, compared with the four-blade configuration of the earlier UH-72A. It also uses a Fenestron shrouded tail rotor in place of the open tail rotor of its predecessor, a design shared with the civil H145 and valued for reduced noise and improved ground safety around the tail.
The wider Lakota fleet has grown to include more than 220 examples used as the primary trainer for new Army pilots, along with 212 UH-72As and 18 UH-72Bs flying domestic utility missions for the National Guard.
Modernisation with a shrinking fleet ahead
"Army and National Guard pilots need modern technology and a proven aircraft they can count on to meet evolving mission demands," said Alex Veneziano, chief executive of Airbus US Space & Defense. "Continued modernisation ensures the Army's Lakota fleet remains a critical part of Army aviation for years."
That said, the Lakota fleet is expected to shrink substantially in the coming years as the Army reshapes its training pipeline. On the same day it awarded the UH-72B purchase contract, the Army announced the selection of Texas-based M1 Support Services in a related support move.
The training role is where the fleet's future is most in flux. Earlier in August, the Army confirmed it had picked a new light training helicopter for its rotary-wing school, a decision that reshapes the long-term requirement for the Lakota in that mission. The new UH-72B order therefore sits alongside a broader recapitalisation rather than a straightforward fleet expansion.
For Airbus, the contract keeps the Columbus, Mississippi line active into the second half of the decade. The facility has been the US assembly home of the Lakota since the type entered Army service two decades ago, and the H145 lineage that underpins it continues to sell strongly in civil emergency medical and law enforcement markets around the world.
Sources: FlightGlobal. Featured image: AI-generated by AviationShop. By Marco Bianchi.
Comments
Loading commentsβ¦