Airbus Helicopters, Inc. received two contracts valued at approximately $389 Million ($273 + $116 Million) to deliver a total of 51 (35 +16) additional UH-72A Lakotas for the United States Army in March 2018. The contracts highlight  the U.S. Army’s confidence and growth capability of the Lakota program.

“We are proud of our partnership with the U.S. Army. As the world’s best Helicopter Trainer provider, we recognize how important an asset the Lakota is for Army Aviation and our nation. Our employees at Airbus are committed to delivering every aircraft on-cost and on-schedule, without exception,” said Chris EMERSON, President of Airbus Helicopters, Inc. and Head of the North America Region. 

These new contracts include the UH-72A production aircraft, associated technical and flight operator manuals and program management. This procurement is broken into two configurations: 33 (17+16) UH-72A Lakotas for the Initial Entry Rotary Wing mission at Ft. Rucker and 18 UH-72A Lakotas for the Observer/Controller mission at the Army’s Combat Training Centers. The aircraft provided under these contracts are from the 2016 fiscal year (FY) procurement decision. 

Airbus builds the Lakota at its Columbus, Mississippi facility.  Since the program inception in 2005, Airbus has delivered more than 423 Lakotas. The UH-72A is a twin-engine light utility helicopter used for a wide range of military operations including border patrol, MEDEVAC, troop and VIP transport, light cargo, Homeland Security.