Eurocopter UH-72 Lakota

The U.S. Army's LHX program began in the early 1980s, proposing two helicopter designs with a high percentage of commonality of dynamic components. One was a light utility version ("LHX-U") for assault and tactical movement of troops and supplies, the other was a light scout/attack version ("LHX-SCAT") to complement the growing development of the AH-64 Apache. As the program was developed, the light utility version was dropped and focus was placed on the light attack reconnaissance version,[2] which eventually became the RAH-66 Comanche.[3]

In 2004, the U.S. Department of Defense and the US Army made the decision to terminate the RAH-66 program. As part of the termination, the Army retained the future years' funding intended for the Comanche.[4] To replace the capability of the cancelled Comanche, the US Army planned several programs, including three new aircraft. The Army Staff decided that these three aircraft, the Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter (ARH), the Light Utility Helicopter (LUH), and the Future Cargo Aircraft (FCA) (later renamed Joint Cargo Aircraft, or JCA), were to be existing, in-production commercial aircraft modified for Army service.

The LUH program was initiated in early 2004, with an initial requirement for 322 helicopters to conduct homeland security, administrative, logistic, medical evacuation (MEDEVAC) and support of the army test and training centers missions. The LUH contract was released in July 2005. At least five proposals were received, including the Bell 210 and Bell 412, MD Explorer, and AgustaWestland AW139. EADS North America (EADS NA) marketed the UH-145 variant of the EC 145 for the program.[5] On 30 June 2006, the U.S. Army announced that the UH-145 as the winner of the $3 billion LUH contract. In August, the UH-145 was officially designated UH-72A by the Department of Defense. The award was confirmed in October 2006 following protests from losing bidders. Despite a four-month delay due to the protests, the first UH-72 was delivered on time in December, when the name Lakota was also formally announced for the type, following the service's tradition of giving Native American names to its helicopters.

A UH-72A at the Pentagon, 2010

On 23 August 2007, the UH-72A received full-rate production (FRP) approval to produce an initially-planned fleet of 345 aircraft through 2017.[6] The UH-72A is produced at Airbus Helicopters's facility in Columbus, Mississippi. Initial production was assembly of kits received from Eurocopter Deutschland but full local production was reached in 2009.[7] In December 2009, the service ordered 45 more UH-72As.[8] The 100th Lakota was delivered in March 2010,[9] and the 250th was delivered in April 2013.[10] That month, the U.S. Army opted to halt procurement after 2014 due to budget cuts;[11] at that point, a total of 312 Lakotas were on order by the service.[12] In January 2014, Congress gave the Army $171 million to procure 20 additional UH-72As.[13] The 300th UH-72 was delivered to the Army in May 2014.[14]

In May 2013, Congress questioned why the UH-72 had not been considered for the armed scout role. The Army Chief of Staff General Ray Odierno stated that the UH-72A was developed for domestic operations and is not considered to be operationally deployable to combat zones. The UH-72 is employed by the US Army National Guard in a utility role in the US, releasing UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters to deploy overseas.[15] On 21 June 2013, Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics Frank Kendall stated in a letter to Congress that UH-72 combat modifications were "presently unaffordable". Fleet-wide combat modifications would reportedly cost $780 million and add 774 lb (351 kg) of weight per helicopter; changes would include passive and active survivability systems, hardened engines and drivetrain, external lighting and communications upgrades.[16]

In December 2013, the US Army was considering retiring its OH-58 Kiowa fleet and transferring all Army National Guard and US Army Reserve AH-64 Apaches to the active Army to serve as scout helicopters. With this plan all 100 active Army UH-72s along with 104 Army National Guard UH-72s would be transferred to use as training helicopters, replacing the Bell TH-67 Creek at the United States Army Aviation Center of Excellence at Fort Rucker, Alabama. Some active Army Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawks would be transferred to Army Reserve and Army National Guard units for homeland defense and disaster response missions. The proposals aim to retire older helicopters to substantially reduce costs while retaining crucial capabilities.[17] With the prospect of most UH-72s being repurposed as training helicopters, the Army requested funds to buy 100 more Lakotas to add to the training fleet. The FY-2015 budget covered 55 helicopters, and the funds from FY-2016 were to be used to complete the purchase.[18]

On 4 September 2014, the Army issued a notice of intention to buy up to 155 UH-72s for training "on an other than full and open competitive basis". AgustaWestland launched a judicial bid to have the acquisition declared unlawful, claiming that the EC145 did not offer the best value for money and that its "restricted flight maneuver envelope" impeded training. Airbus defended the Army's position, noting the EC145's prior selection, claiming AgustaWestland's cost figures were exaggerated and that it was already used for training.[19] Bell Helicopter also criticized the decision but took no legal actions. On 14 October 2014, a Federal Claims Court issued a temporary order denying the US government's challenge of AgustaWestland's action until the Army issued a final justification and approval (J&A) to sole-source the procurement. The Army contended that the UH-72A came under the 2006 LUH contract, and so did not require a new J&A, effectively nullifying the challenge.[20] The court sided with AgustaWestland, rejected the Army's J&A, and halted UH-72 procurement for training after finding that the Army had exaggerated the costs and time needed to acquire a training helicopter. The initial acquisition process was found negligent as it effectively tied the UH-72 to Airbus for its serviceable life. The court ordered the Army to either conduct a procurement for new training helicopters or stop buying UH-72 trainers.[21][22] The Army appealed the decision.[23][24]

Two UH-72As trainers maneuvering in formation close to the ground.

The UH-72 has faced controversy as a trainer due to perceived problems with its use as an initial trainer. A study by the National Commission on the Future of the Army, a commission established by Congress to make recommendations on force structure of the Army to the president,[25] concluded that the UH-72 was cost-prohibitive as a training helicopter and there were cheaper options available to buy. It also showed that most instructor pilots disapproved of the UH-72, deeming it "too much aircraft for the mission", and unsuitable as an initial entry trainer.[26] The UH-72 has also been criticized as unable to teach touchdown auto-rotations, among other maneuvers. The German Army had stopped using EC-135s for their initial trainer after Airbus advised them of it not being suitable for initial training. The US Navy also rejected the UH-72 as a trainer for the same reason.[27][28][29][30]

The Armed Scout 645 (EC645) was a proposed armed UH-72 variant for the US Army's Armed Aerial Scout (AAS) program to replace the OH-58D. On 4 May 2009, EADS and Lockheed Martin announced a teaming agreement for the 645.[31][32] Three AAS-72X demonstrators were built and began flight testing in late 2010.[33] In September 2012, EADS began voluntary flight demonstrations of both an AAS-72X and an EC145 T2, reportedly meeting with performance requirements.[34][35] Two versions were offered: the AAS-72X, an armed version of the UH-72; and the AAS-72X+, an armed militarized version of the EC-145T2.[36] In late 2013, the AAS program was terminated.[37]

In May 2012, the UH-72A was submitted in the US Air Force's Common Vertical Life Support Platform (CVLSP) program for a UH-1N Twin Huey replacement. As with the US Army, the UH-72A can operate in permissive environments, such as ICBM site support and security under the Air Force Global Strike Command and personnel transport in the National Capital Region by the Air Mobility Command's 89th Airlift Wing. Advantages over the UH-1N include 30 percent more speed, range, and loiter time, enhanced reliability and crashworthiness, night vision compatibility, modern avionics, and being cheaper to operate.[38] In August 2013, the USAF said it planned to sustain the UH-1N for six to ten more years.[39] In September 2013, acting Air Force Secretary Eric Fanning received a letter from the CEO of EADS North America, arguing that to refit and maintain the Hueys costs more than to acquire and operate UH-72As; the letter also urged prompt action as Army orders were almost complete and production was winding down. The USAF said it had insufficient funding for such a procurement and can risk using Hueys for a while. EADS North America stated that the UH-72A "will lower the risk to the U.S. Air Force nuclear enterprise, and will save taxpayers the considerable cost of future recapitalization."[40] Reportedly, buying UH-72As would cost as much as upgrading 62 Hueys, but long-term operating costs would be much lower.[41]

On 7 June 2013, Thailand requested the sale of six UH-72A Lakotas with associated equipment, training, and support for an estimated cost of $77 million.[60] On 9 October 2013, the Thai government approved $55 million in funds to support the Royal Thai Army's acquisition of six UH-72A helicopters from 2013 to 2015.[61] On 28 March 2014, the Thai Army awarded a $34 million contract to Airbus Helicopter for six UH-72As, fitted with a mission equipment package including the AN/ARC-231 airborne radio terminal; deliveries were to begin by April 2015.[62] By November 2015, the six helicopters had been delivered.[63]

On 29 September 2014, Congress was notified of a Thailand request for the sale of another nine UH-72s, related equipment, and support.[64][65]