[ricardonunes]

EADS North America and Eurocopter have committed the full resources of their UH-145 industry team to the production, supply and in-service support of this helicopter following its selection as the U.S. Army’s next-generation Light Utility Helicopter (LUH). The LUH requirement is for up to 352 aircraft with a potential program life-cycle value of U.S. $ 3 billion.

The LUH award is a continuation of Eurocopter’s over 20-year heritage as a helicopter supplier to American government agencies which support U.S. National and Homeland Security agencies including the U.S. Coast Guard, the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI. The decision, announced today by the U.S. Army, marks EADS North America’s and Eurocopter’s first major win as a prime contractor for the U.S. military.



The UH-145 is a version of the commercial EC145. Its selection by the U.S. Army for this important mission demonstrates the service’s confidence in EADS’ and Eurocopter’s ability to meet the fast-paced delivery schedule and support requirements of these critical Army aircraft. The program will in-source U.S. jobs of high value and contribute to homeland security.

Fabrice Brégier, President and CEO of Eurocopter, the company which designed and builds the EC145, declared: "We are extremely proud that our helicopter has been selected for the U.S. Army’s requirement. After decades of delivering to U.S. government and commercial operators, this is our first entry into the U.S. military market and a tremendous opportunity for us to further prove our total commitment to this market. In terms of numbers, the UH-145 award is the single largest order for one aircraft type booked by Eurocopter to date. The UH-145 selection demonstrates the benefits derived from a fair and open competition among capable solution providers and demonstrates the value proposition of applying commercially-derived solutions to meet military requirements. It also reflects the fact that military cooperation between the U.S. and Europe is a true partnership."

EADS North America leads a UH-145 team of companies that includes four primary partners: American Eurocopter, a joint subsidiary of EADS North America and Eurocopter, which will handle the helicopter’s production, assembly and delivery; Sikorsky Aircraft, responsible for contractor logistics support (CLS); WestWind Technologies, for systems integration, engineering support and program management expertise; and CAE USA of Tampa, Florida, the supplier of UH-145 cockpit procedures trainers.

UH-145 program management will be handled by the EADS North America Defense business unit of EADS North America. A network of leading U.S. subcontractors has been created for the Light Utility Helicopter, bringing together companies such as the NORDAM

Group, Keith Products, Thales USA, Turbomeca USA , Wulfsberg Electronics., Honeywell, Goodrich, Aerolite, Armor Holdings and L3 Communications.

The UH-145’s industrial activity will be centered at American Eurocopter’s Columbus, Mississippi facility, which is to undergo a major expansion to accommodate the Light Utility Helicopter program. Production of the UH-145 – a customized version of Eurocopter’s EC145 multi-mission helicopter, currently built in Germany – will be transferred to Columbus in a series of steps that begins with partial assembly, followed by full assembly and the subsequent U.S. manufacture of major subsystems.

American Eurocopter’s expansion of the 92,000-sq.-ft. Columbus facility will begin almost immediately, with its size at least tripling to accommodate the UH-145 program activity. Employment will grow by approximately 250 persons, bringing it to more than 360. "This is a major step ahead for the Mississippi facility and fully in line with the worldwide industrial deployment strategy of Eurocopter, which consists in developing long-term industrial partnerships with major customer nations", said Fabrice Brégier.

EADS North America and Eurocopter have made a significant commitment to the UH-145 program, with the first helicopter already in assembly for delivery to the Army this November. In addition, components have been allocated for the manufacture of seven more UH-145s.

[pedro]

Esta noticia e que eu nao esperava.
Cumprimentos

[Marauder]

Yep..

http://diariodigital.sapo.pt/dinheiro%5 ... news=69012

[Marauder]

A nível internacional:

 http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArtic ... ticlePage2

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

[MERLIN]

Uma versão dos tais que Portugal recusou!

[Cabeça de Martelo]

E que recusou muitissimo bem! Um Helicoptero que nem tinha armamento, para uma unidade como a GALE era, a meu ver ridiculo.

[Spectral]

Tinha armamento pois, mas ligeiro ( metrelhadoras e rockets).

Os problemas foram mais a nível da certificação dos mísseis anti-tanque, embora se desconfie que isto foi apenas um pretexto.


Quanto ao facto de servir ou não servir, a verdade é que para esta função continuamos com os Alouette da Guerra Colonial, bem mais vulneráveis e que apenas podem receber uma peça de 20mm numa posição lateral...

[Cabeça de Martelo]

Tens a certeza? É que eu já vi muitas fotos deste helicoptero e armamento só vi quando era trabalhinho de Photoshop...mesmos as fotos que os americanos colocaram na net nunca mostrava nem metrelhadores, nem rockets.

[ricardonunes]

First UH-72A Light Utility Helicopter delivered to the U.S. Army New helicopter is a military version of the successful Eurocopter EC145

EADS North America officially delivered the first UH-72A Light Utility Helicopter today to the U.S. Army, marking the beginning of this major defence program. The U.S. Army had selected the UH-145 (renamed UH-72A by the Army) in July 2006 with a requirement for up to 322 helicopters and a potential total life-cycle value of over billion. To date, the Army has ordered a total of 42 UH-72As, along with the associated training services for pilots and maintenance personnel. The UH-72A is based on the commercially success-ful Eurocopter EC145 which has become the standard rotary aircraft for emergency medical service and high demanding utility missions.

This first UH-72A was received by the U.S. Army, in the presence of US senior officials and politicians, during a delivery and naming ceremony in Columbus, Mississippi, where Eurocop-ter’s US subsidiary, American Eurocopter, has a production site and will manufacture the twin-engine helicopter. A second UH-72A will be delivered before year-end, responding early to the Army’s fast-paced requirement for the helicopter, which will be used on logistical and support missions within the United States. Forty more light utility helicopters currently are in the pro-duction cycle for delivery to the Army during 2007 and 2008.



At today’s delivery ceremony, the Army unveiled the UH-72A’s official name: Lakota, which is a Native American Indian tribe of the Great Sioux Nation. Naming the UH-72A the Lakota con-tinues the service’s tradition of naming its helicopters after Native American tribes.

"This first delivery to such a prestigious client symbolises a major success for Eurocopter, since it’s the first time ever that together with EADS, we participate in the U.S. defence mar-ket", said Lutz Bertling, CEO of Eurocopter. "It proves the quality, modernity and mission suit-ability of this helicopter. It creates a great opportunity to strengthen and increase the Eurocop-ter presence on the US market, with a major extension of our production facility in Mississippi and the creation of 250 to 300 US jobs. It is for Eurocopter the outcome of more than 40 years of cooperation with American companies and customer satisfaction."

Eurocopter has been very active on the US market during the past decades and is today the leader in the civil and parapublic market, with more than 50% of this market. Eurocopter, and its US Subsidiary American Eurocopter, supplies helicopters to U.S. homeland security and law enforcement agencies across the United States, including the U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Drug Enforcement Agency, and the FBI.



EADS North America, who is acting as a prime contractor for the US Army, leads a UH-72A team of US industrial partners and subcontractors committed to delivering the best-value Light Utility Helicopter solution to this major customer.

The Columbus, Mississippi factory of American Eurocopter is undergoing a major expansion to support the UH-72A production, assembly and delivery. Industrial activity at Columbus is starting with the Light Utility Helicopter’s build-up and acceptance for delivery, and will sub-sequently transition to full-scale production with the facility expanding to a total covered area of 32,500 m2 to be completed in the fall of 2007. In addition to the UH-72A program, activity at the Columbus factory includes production/assembly of AS350 and EC120 helicopters for U.S. Customs and Border Protection and other government/law enforcement agencies in North America, as well as support for the U.S. Coast Guard’s modernization of its HH-65 Dolphin helicopter fleet.

Eurocopter News

[MERLIN]

Esta maquina teria servido para o GALE. Esta certificada par levar rockets, canhões e metralhadoras, não esta ainda certificado para misseis. De qualquer forma o EC-635 não foi pensado para ser um verdadeiro heli de ataque, para este papel há o APACHE, o TIGRE etc...
Cumptos

[typhonman]

Mas em Portugal irá ter essa função.. Provavelmente irá ser o A109LUH.

[Spectral]

Mas em Portugal irá ter essa função..

Diz quem ?