EADS Achieved Milestone On UH-72A LUH Program

EADS North America has achieved another milestone on the UH-72A Lakota Light Utility Helicopter (LUH) program as the company has delivered more than half of the planned 345 Lakotas to the U.S. Army. The UH-72A Lakota, built by the company’s American Eurocopter business unit, is one of the U.S. Army’s most successful acquisition programs and is repeatedly noted by DoD officials for its on-time and on-budget deliveries. “Reaching the midway point in deliveries to the Army with an unblemished record of on-time deliveries is an excellent example of our strong performance on the Lakota program,” said EADS North American CEO Sean O’Keefe. “This program clearly demonstrates the company’s ability to successfully execute large programs, in-source manufacturing to the U.S. and create high-value American jobs, while simultaneously delivering on our on-time and on-cost commitment to our Army and Navy customers.” The UH-72A is based on the best-selling EC145 multi-role helicopter and was developed by EADS’ Eurocopter division. As part of EADS North America’s commitment to the U.S. Army, the company’s American Eurocopter business unit created a dedicated assembly line for UH-72As in Mississippi, and successfully completed the on-time in-sourcing of its full production activity from Germany in 2010 – with sustained output reaching 53 rotary-wing aircraft annually at the state-of-the-art facility.