US Army orders more UH-72B Lakota helicopters as trainer fleet shifts

The US Army has awarded Airbus Helicopters a contract worth $140 million for additional UH-72B Lakota helicopters, according to the company. The deal, signed on 14 August, covers 10 firm aircraft with options for two more, and adds to an earlier batch of 18 UH-72Bs that entered service with the Army National Guard in 2021.

The aircraft will be built at Airbus's plant in Columbus, Mississippi, with deliveries set to run from 2027 through 2029. The UH-72B is a newer version of the UH-72A, which Airbus has supplied to the Army since 2006 and which now numbers more than 220 examples used mainly as pilot trainers, alongside 212 UH-72As and 18 UH-72Bs assigned to domestic utility duties with the National Guard.

Both variants derive from the Airbus H145 civil helicopter. The B-model differs mechanically, with a five-blade main rotor rather than four, and a shrouded Fenestron tail rotor in place of the open design on the A-model.

An Airbus US Space & Defense executive said continued upgrades would keep the Lakota fleet central to Army aviation in coming years.

The announcement came on the same day the Army said it had selected M1 Support Services, a Texas-based contractor, to overhaul its helicopter training program. That plan includes swapping the UH-72A for the Robinson R66 as the Army's primary trainer aircraft, a change expected to sharply reduce the overall Lakota fleet size. The Army has not disclosed what will happen to the UH-72As it retires from training duty.