Article on the UH-72A Lakota Light Utility Helicopter - Wescam

UH-72 UPDATERapidThe first operational unit to beequipped with the UH-72A wasthe National Training Center’sAir Ambulance Detachmentat Fort Irwin, California.(Photo: EADS North America)responseThe US Army took deliveryof its 100th UH-72A LakotaLight UtilityHelicopter at the beginningof March. Scott R Gourleytakes a focussed look atthat rarest of creatures –a successful armyhelicopter programme.Created as an outgrowth of the decision toend the RAH-66 Comanche programmein the spring of 2004, the US Army’s UH-72ALakota Light Utility Helicopter (LUH) wasfunded with money originally planned andprogrammed for the Comanche.The original requirement was for 322 aircraft,but that figure has now increased to 345platforms with the majority of those – 210UH-72As – destined for the Army NationalGuard (ARNG). As it is fielded, the UH-72A isbeginning to replace UH-60 Black Hawk, UH-1Huey, and OH-58A/C Kiowa aircraft used by theARNG and elements of the active army.The cost of supporting the UH-1 andOH-58A/C aircraft had been increasing inrecent years due to parts availability and oldage. The UH-72A is a smaller (fuselage length10.1m/length rotor rotating 13m), less costlyaircraft that can fulfil the missions that theolder types were conducting at the US Army’sCombat Training Centers (CTCs) and elsewherearound the US.Moreover, the UH-60 aircraft being freedup by incoming Lakotas are now available tosupport US operations in Afghanistan and Iraq.Already, the rapid acquisition, production andfielding of the UH-72A over the last three and ahalf years has allowed the army to transfer 24UH-60 aircraft to other missions that supportoverseas contingency operations.EXPRESS DELIVERYEADS North America is the prime contractorand overall programme lead, with AmericanEurocopter responsible for aircraft production,assembly and delivery. EADS highlights asupplier network that includes Aerolite, BAESystems, CAE, Goodrich, L-3, Labarge,Luminator, Meggitt, Nordam, Sagem, Sikorsky,Thales USA, Turbomeca USA, Whelen andWulfsberg Electronics.Noting that the first aircraft delivery was inNovember 2006, five months after contractaward, US Army representatives haveemphasised that the team has been able todeliver as many as five aircraft in any onemonth and remain on schedule and withinthe army cost position.As of the end of 2009, 93 Lakota aircrafthad been fielded to ARNG units in 11 states,the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. Inaddition, medevac and general support unitsat the National Training Center (NTC) andJoint Readiness Training Center (JRTC) havealso received UH-72As, while active armyunits at Fort Rucker, Fort Eustis and the➡www.rotorhub.com Volume 29 Number 2 | March/April 2010 | Defence Helicopter 15

UH-72 UPDATEThe arrival of the Lakota is freeing up BlackHawks to be deployed in support of operations inIraq and Afghanistan. (Photo: US Army)US Military Academy (USMA) also operate thenew aircraft.On 4 March, EADS North America held aceremony to mark the delivery of the 100thLakota to the army, which it trumpeted as‘another on-time and on-budget achievementfor a highly successful programme’. The aircraft inquestion will be deployed to Germany with theJoint Multinational Readiness Center (JMRC).In addition to army applications, five UH-72Aaircraft were purchased by the US Navy for useat the Naval Test Pilot School (NTPS) in PatuxentRiver, Maryland, which not only trains navalaviators but also other US service pilots as wellas those from overseas allies.Programme representatives credit theUH-72A as being a highly capable andmanoeuvrable aircraft, able to support therequirements of NTPS testing and training.FLYING START‘I think the programme is really off to a greatstart,’ Lt Col Dave Bristol, US Army LUHproduct manager, told Defence Helicopter.‘We’ve currently [mid-February 2010] got97 aircraft that are actually fielded to thearmy and that also includes five navyaircraft. Again, the team has done a superjob. That includes American Eurocopter[production, assembly, and delivery] andthe supporting role of Sikorsky on themaintainer side.’Sikorsky Aerospace Services (the aftermarketbusiness of Sikorsky Aircraft) plays a primaryrole in providing contractor logistics support(CLS) for the UH-72A team. In late August2009, it announced the delivery ofenhancements to the HELOTRAC RLmaintenance management system for theUH-72A, including ‘improvements to threeprimary features requested by the US Army:safety; an operating and supportmanagement information system; andfleet management capabilities’.‘The five navy aircraft – and we just deliveredthe fifth one a few weeks ago – were fielded tothe NTPS up at Pax River where they are usingthose for test pilot training,’ Bristol continued.‘So that’s another big accomplishment forthe programme.’The standard LUH configuration includes:cockpit features such as glass cockpit, widefield of view, LCD displays and three-axisautopilot; performance features such as lownoiserotor blades, twin-engined (Turbomeca16Defence Helicopter | March/April 2010 | Volume 29 Number 2www.rotorhub.com

UH-72 UPDATEThe first two Lakotas fielded by the ARNG land inTupelo, Mississippi, in 2008. (Photo: US Army)Arriel 1E2) reliability, a maximum speed of268km/h and endurance of up to 3.2 hours;capacity features such as a 500kg payload withgross weight of 3,500kg; and communicationsfeatures such as the ARC-231 suite, interagencyVHF/UHF comms and a cabin intercom system.In addition, mission equipment package(MEP) kits optimise the Lakota to performspecific missions in support of its different roles.For example, the UH-72A is currently beingprimarily delivered in two army configurations –medevac and VIP. The Lakota medevac MEPincludes two NATO standard litters, a medicalstorage kit, an external rescue hoist and anenvironmental control unit (ECU). The VIP MEPfeatures special seats, carpet and an ECU.MULTIPLE VARIANTSBeyond those two configurations, additionalMEP kits are being developed to optimisethree new variants: security and support (S&S)battalion (ARNG); observer/controller; andopposing force (OPFOR).Designed to facilitate homeland securityoperations for ARNG units, the S&S battalionMEP, funded by the National Guard Bureau,includes the Skyquest VRDV-4010 digitalvideo recorder, a EuroNav V RN6 movingmap and Sierra Nevada TactiLink-Eaglecommunications system.Selected aircraft can also be fitted with theL-3 Wescam MX-15i EO/IR sensor, the LuminatorLS16 searchlight, which is slaved to the EO/IRsensor and provides 30 million candlepower,and a hoist.The new observer/controller MEP willinclude enhancements such as an externalpublic address system, while the OPFOR MEPwill add items such as MILES/TESS (MultipleIntegrated Laser Engagement System/TacticalEngagement Support System) and a uniquecamouflage paint pattern.‘We currently have the medevac variant andthe VIP variant,’ Bristol noted. ‘And right now wealso have the security and support birds thatwe’re building for the National Guard.’He said the critical design review (CDR) wasrecently completed for controller helicoptersfor the CTCs at the JRTC at Fort Polk, the NTCat Fort Irwin and the JMRC in Hohenfels,Germany, and the aircraft was now at theprototype stage.‘The two in production right now are themedevac and the VIP, with S&S and the CTCvariants just completing CDR and seeking FAA➡www.rotorhub.com Volume 29 Number 2 | March/April 2010 | Defence Helicopter 17

UH-72 UPDATEcertification this summer [mid-2010]. And thenof course we’ll cut those into production. So allprogrammes are on cost/on schedule, so I’mvery pleased with that. The fifth variant, theOPFOR configuration, is also looking for FAAcertification in the late summer timeframe.’IN THE FIELDRecapping quantities already fielded, Bristoladded: ‘They’re performing very well. Thecustomers are very happy. As they divest theOH-58s and UH-1s I think they are very pleasedwith this aircraft and the MEP that they arereceiving. And I look forward to the response tothe security support package, as that retrofitprocess and cut into production happensaround the end of this year or early next year. Ithink they’re going to be very pleased with it.’In terms of platform modifications, one earlyUH-72A effort involved the aircraft ventilationsystem. ‘That has worked out very well,’ Bristolsaid. ‘Currently we just have the ECUs in themedevac and VIP variants. That was the onlything approved. But I believe that the customerThe UH-72A is beingdelivered in five mainvariants: medvac; VIP;security and support;observer/controller; andopposing force. (Photo:EADS North America)is very happy with that and there has beensome interest across the fleet to add additionalECUs. But nothing has been approved forthat yet.‘Other than that, there is an engine inletbarrier filter (EIBF) that we have added on toaircraft in certain locations – about 65 aircraft atthis point – where we have done site surveysand that has proved to help save erosion onthe compressor blades. So every time we go tofield – for example, this year we have 11fielding sites – we do a site survey. And part ofthat is looking at the environment. And, if needbe, we will put an EIBF on each engine to helpprotect those blades,’ he said.Bristol noted that other potential platformmodifications ranged from leveragingblade coating efforts from other helicopterprogrammes to integrated healthmanagement systems.‘Right now we’re testing a set of coatedblades at NTC,’ he said. ‘And we look for a twophasedapproach for LUH. One is coating theleading edge and testing that out there in thefield. And we also want to look at coating theentire blade. So that programme is going verywell. We are also looking at hardenedwindshield applications, just because of theenvironments we fly in, and that programme isalso going very well. And then the last thing weare looking at is just a little seed money forIVHMS [Integrated Vehicle Health ManagementSystem], so we’re looking to do some testingwith IVHMS in this aircraft.’He added that one additional modificationcould involve the installation of blue forcetracking capabilities on selected Lakotas.TRAINING UPWith more than 500 pilots and maintainerstrained to date by American Eurocopter atEADS North America’s Grand Prairie, Texas,headquarters and at the Eastern ARNGAviation Training Site at Fort Indiantown Gap,Pennsylvania, Bristol was also quick tohighlight the contributions of the relatedtraining and support activities to the overallprogramme success.‘Here in the programme we have not onlyproduction but we also have the training of thepilots,’ he explained. ‘I’ve trained 360 pilots and184 National Guard maintainers to date, andwe continue to train pilots and maintenancepersonnel. So not only production but trainingA UH-72A in medevac configuration after landingat its new home at Fort Polk, Louisiana, where itis replacing the UH-1 Iroquois. (Photo: US Army)is going very well, as is our sustainment plan. Ithink the customer is very pleased with the fullCLS for the TDA sites and the National Guard isreally enjoying the ability to receive parts in atimely manner. All parts are delivered within 48hours so operational readiness is the highest, Ithink, across aviation. We are consistently over90%. I think that’s a huge accomplishment.’Bristol said although a few aircraft were stillcoming out of Eurocopter’s Donauwörthfacility in Germany, production had largelymoved to the US.‘By the October timeframe we will have100% coming out of Columbus, Mississippi.But that’s just a little bit of overlap in theproduction schedule. Right now almosteverything on my programme is coming outof Columbus… So I think that it’s really a proudmoment for our programme that we areproducing a high-quality product, a verysophisticated aircraft, for the user.’In terms of Fiscal Year 2010 (FY10) and FY11fielding plans, Bristol pointed to a schedule of35 aircraft being fielded to 11 locations duringthe current fiscal year, adding that ‘next year,in FY11, we are fielding a total of 64 aircraftacross 20 locations, which is phenomenal’.‘Our most challenging fielding locationsare going to be Hohenfels, Germany, as afull OCONUS CLS site, and then Kwajalein[Atoll]. That’s going to be pretty significant forour team.‘Again, the programme is really doing solidly.I really don’t have any challenges on theproduction side or modifications. The NationalGuard has been a solid team player in helpingdevelop the security support package. So Ithink overall that everyone has been verypleased with the product.’ DH18Defence Helicopter | March/April 2010 | Volume 29 Number 2www.rotorhub.com