U.S. Army awards Airbus Helicopters $115.4 mln contract for up to 12 more UH-72B Lakota helicopters

Published Aug 15, 10:18 AM UTC

The U.S. Army has awarded Airbus Helicopters Inc. a $115.4 million contract to build up to 12 additional UH-72B Lakota helicopters, as announced by the Department of War on August 14. The contract covers the MBB-BK 117 D3 helicopters, jettisonable cockpit doors, air conditioning, engine inlet barrier filters, and program management. The initial obligation is $115.4 million, with a potential cumulative value of $140.7 million if options are exercised. Work will be performed at Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, with completion by December 31, 2030. The Army received only one bid. The Lakota program began in 2006, with 463 UH-72A variants built before shifting to the UH-72B model. The fleet serves in training, search and rescue, medical evacuation, disaster response, homeland defense, and drug interdiction missions, logging over 1.6 million total flight hours.