Eurocopter UH-72 Lakota

UH-72 Lakota
A Nebraska Army National Guard Lakota, participating in exercise PATRIOT North 2016
General information
Type	Light utility military helicopter
National origin	Multinational
Manufacturer	Eurocopter Airbus Helicopters
Built by	American Eurocopter Airbus Helicopters, Inc.
Status	In service
Primary users	United States Army United States Navy
Number built	463 (September 2020)[1]
History
Manufactured	2006–present
Introduction date	2007
First flight	2006
Developed from	Eurocopter EC145

The Airbus Helicopters (formerly Eurocopter) UH-72 Lakota is a twin-engine helicopter with a single, four-bladed main rotor. It is a militarized version of the Eurocopter EC145, Airbus Helicopters, Inc., a division of the Airbus Group. Since their introduction in 2006, several hundred of various types have entered service by the 2020s.

Initially marketed as the UH-145, the helicopter was selected as the winner of the United States Army's Light Utility Helicopter (LUH) program on 30 June 2006. In October 2006, American Eurocopter was awarded a production contract for 345 aircraft to replace the aging Bell UH-1H/V Iroquois and Bell OH-58A/C Kiowa helicopters in the US Army and Army National Guard fleets. The UH-72 performs non-combat logistics and support missions within the US for homeland security, disaster response missions, and medical evacuations. This allows the more expensive Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawks and other types to be freed up for frontline service. The UH-72A is also used for helicopter pilot training.

In the 2020s the upgraded UH-72B version with various upgrades and a distinct ducted tail rotor began to enter service. The helicopter is noted for its lower procurement and operating costs, and deliveries are noted as being on-budget and on-time to the U.S. Army. The B model with 5-rotors (compared to 4) and other improvements was introduced in the 2020s and is the latest model entering service in 2021. Tests of an unmanned version were conducted. An armed scout version was entered in the U.S. Army's Armed Aerial Scout competition, though that program was cancelled in 2014 due to budget cuts. By 2022, over 460 aircraft had been produced including the A and B models.^[2]