American Eurocopter EC 145 Wins LUH Contract

[EAGLE1]

REDSTONE ARSENAL, AL – The U.S. Army has awarded a $43.09 million contract to EADS North American Defense of Arlington, Va. for the production and contractor logistics support of the Light Utility Helicopter. The Army intends to procure and field a total of 322 Light Utility Helicopters beginning in Fiscal Year 2007.

 

“The Light Utility Helicopter contract action we signed today will have far reaching effects,” said Col. Cory Mahanna, Utility Helicopters Project Manager. “This fleet of U.S. Army aircraft will benefit America in crisis situations, like those associated with Hurricanes Katrina and Hugo, and the aftermath of the Mount St. Helens’ explosion. The LUH will be our Army’s ‘first responder’ during future disaster scenarios. This new aircraft will give our Soldiers an important new tool for use in the defense and security of our homeland.”

 

The LUH is a commercial / non-developmental item aircraft to conduct light general support, civil search and rescue, personnel recovery, air ambulance medical evacuation, casualty evacuation, limited civil command and control operations in the conduct of homeland security, and counter-drug operations. The LUH is intended to perform these functions only in permissive, non-combat operational environments. The primary users for the LUH are the active Army units and the Army National Guard

[Flying Pig]

Ouch,,,.....wasnt MD putting a lot into winning that contract?

[67november]

I don't think MD really had chance

[Flying Pig]

I had read an article where the company was talking about really digging in for the 900 or 902 to win the contract.

[HelliBoy]

"The U.S. Army has awarded a $43.09 million contract to EADS North American Defense of Arlington, Va. for the production and contractor logistics support of the Light Utility Helicopter. The Army intends to procure and field a total of 322 Light Utility Helicopters beginning in Fiscal Year 2007. "

 

I wish I could buy 322 ec145s for $43 million....

 

sikorsky doing the maintenance program prolly had more to do with it than anything

[DeltaMikeCharlie]

$133,819.87 USD apiece , and that includes maint suport?

[Flying Pig]

Yeah, the math on that doesnt match up.

[67november]

and that includes maint suport?

 

 

not a chance that is for birds only.

[HelliBoy]

Yeah, that typo is in the official press releases too. Gotta say 'I called it' tho...sorta

 

LUH Poll

[klas]

Yeah, the math on that doesnt match up.

 

 

It's actually a $3 billion deal...

 

http://www.verticalmag.com/control/news/te...?a=1854&z=6

[Linc]

The $43.09 million contract is for initial production and 8 airframes due by 2008; more likely early 2009, now that Lynn Tilton and MDHI are whining about the contract. Their complaint centers around EADS North America being owned by EADS, a foreign corporation (conglomerate-type). My issue with the protest from MDHI is that EADS was in the process of building a plant in Mississippi to build the aircraft in country, generating jobs in America, whereas MDHI's parent Patriarch Partners has arranged for the MD902 airframes to be built in Turkey.(1)