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EADS North America to Accelerate
Production of the U.S. Armys UH-72A Lakota Light
Utility Helicopter
Arlington,
VA; Atlanta, GA, May 9, 2007 -
Deliveries of the U.S. Armys newest rotary-wing
aircraft are continuing ahead of schedule as EADS North
America plans to increase production output of the twin-engine
UH-72A Lakota Light Utility Helicopter.
Six
UH-72As have been received by the Army to date, with
the no. 6 helicopter displayed this week at the Army
Aviation Association of Americas annual meeting
in Atlanta, Georgia.
The
delivery rate will be ramping up to two Light Utility
Helicopters per month in September, meeting EADS North
Americas production target for the current program
phase. At full-rate production, the company plans to
build five UH-72As per month.
EADS
North America continues to meet its commitments on this
highly important contract, and we have mobilized our
companys full resources to ensure that the Army
receives high-quality, mission-ready aircraft,
said David R. Oliver, Jr., the President and CEO of
EADS North America Defense.
UH-72As
delivered to date are assigned to the U.S. Armys
National Training Center at Fort Irwin, California,
with more than 550 flight hours logged so far by the
Lakota fleet.
The
Army has a requirement for up to 322 UH-72As in a 10
year program with a total life-cycle value of over $2
billion. These helicopters will be operated primarily
within the U.S. for homeland security operations, medical
evacuation, passenger/logistics transportation and drug
interdiction missions. Many of them will be assigned
to Army National Guard units in locations throughout
the country, allowing older-generation helicopters to
be retired and freeing up larger rotary-wing aircraft
for assignment to other duties including deployment
to Iraq and Afghanistan.
Assembly
and production of the UH-72A is performed at the Columbus,
Mississippi facility of American Eurocopter, a business
unit of EADS North America. American Eurocopter is in
the process of enlarging this site located at
the Golden Triangle Regional Airport to accommodate
the Light Utility Helicopters production and deliveries.
This expansion is on schedule for completion this September,
and includes new buildings for the Lakotas assembly
hall, flight line and storage area, paint shop, warehouse,
administrative offices, flight operations and flight
test engineering.
The
UH-72A contract expands EADS North Americas 20-year
heritage as a supplier to U.S. homeland security and
law enforcement agencies, including the U.S. Coast Guard,
U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Drug Enforcement
Agency, FBI, and numerous state and local law enforcement
agencies across the United States.
About
EADS North America (www.eadsnorthamerica.com)
EADS
North America is the North American operations of EADS,
the second largest aerospace and defense company in
the world. As a leader in all sectors of defense and
homeland security, EADS North America and its parent
company, EADS, contribute over $8.5 billion to the U.S.
economy annually and support more than 174,000 American
jobs through its network of suppliers and services.
With 11 operating companies located in 32 cities and
17 states, EADS North America offers a broad array of
advanced solutions to its customers in the commercial,
homeland security, aerospace and defense markets.
Media
Contact:
Guy Hicks, Vice President Communications and Public Relations
EADS North America
Tel: 703-236-3300
E-mail: guy.hicks@eads-na.com
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