04 JANUARY, 2018 SOURCE: FLIGHTGLOBAL.COM BY: STEPHEN
TRIMBLE WASHINGTON DC
The US Army on 4 January took the first step in the
process to award a contract to Airbus for up to 35 more UH-72 Lakota helicopters.
A “sources sought” notice published by the Army’s utility
helicopter project management office checks off a requirement to investigate
whether there are competitive options.
The notice notes that only Airbus owns the technical data
on the UH-72, which means any potential competitor would have to acquire the
data from the OEM to build the twin-engined aircraft.
Airbus has delivered more than 400 UH-72s to the army
since 2006. The re-designated H145 aircraft lack a military airworthiness
certificate by design, rendering the fleet limited to peacetime support roles.
In 2014, the army also selected the UH-72A to replace the Bell Helicopter TH-67
as a primary trainer.
The army’s approved budget in Fiscal 2017 contains funds
to buy 23 UH-72As, so up to another 12 could be purchased later.
Airbus assembles the UH-72 from a factory in Columbus,
Mississippi, although major components are built in Europe.
The new order from the army is necessary to keep the
facility open.
Workers at the factory “ended 2017 wondering if the New
Year would bring them unemployment”, Airbus says. “A new contract for them
would mean they can continue to build on their unbroken record of on-time,
on-cost deliveries to the Army.”
Original post: flightglobal.com
UH-72A Lakota: Details
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