Eurocopter UH-72 Lakota

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The Eurocopter UH-72 Lakota is a twin-engine helicopter with a single, four-bladed main rotor. The UH-72 is a militarized version of the Eurocopter EC145 and was built by American Eurocopter, a division of Eurocopter GmbH. 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 June 30th, 2006. In October 2006, American Eurocopter was awarded a production contract for 345 aircraft to replace ageing UH-1H/V and OH-58A/C helicopters in the US Army and Army National Guard fleets.

Variants[edit | edit source]

  • UH-72A: An unarmed utility military version of the EC145.
  • UH-72B: Upgrade of the UH-72A; this configuration is based on the civilian EC145T2. The model has a Fenestron tail rotor, five-bladed main rotor, more powerful engines, enhanced controls, and the Airbus Helionix avionics suite. Deliveries to the ARNG began in September 2021.
  • UH-72B Unmanned Logistics Connector: A proposed unmanned variant of the UH-72B for the United States Marine Corps and United States Army. It would provide autonomous logistical support for Expeditionary Advanced Base Operations for the USMC and contested airspace for the Army. If the USMC selects it, it could be fielded by the late 2020s. As of June 2025, it has received the designation of MQ-72C.
  • AAS-72X: A proposed armed version of the UH-72 for the US Army's Armed Aerial Scout OH-58D replacement program offered by EADS and Lockheed Martin.
  • AAS-72X+: An armed military version of the Eurocopter EC145T2 also proposed for the Armed Aerial Scout program. It was equipped with more powerful engines with an extra 200 horsepower each, a fenestron shrouded tail rotor, and a fully digital glass cockpit.

Users[edit | edit source]

  • Thailand
    • Royal Thai Army x 15
  • United States
    • United States Army x 338 - another 42 on order
    • United States Navy x 6
      • United States Naval Test Pilot School

See Also[edit | edit source]

Related Development[edit | edit source]

Comparable Aircraft[edit | edit source]