Airbus Helicopter receives UH-72 Lakota contract

July 13 (UPI) -- Airbus Helicopter has received a $35.2 million contract modification for parts and logistical support for the U.S. Army's UH-72 Lakota light utility helicopter.

The modification provides spare parts and logistical support to account for higher flying hours by the UH-72 fleet than originally projected.

The additional work will be performed in Grand Prairie, Texas, with a projected completion date of December 31, 2017, with $35.2 million in 2017 Army operations and maintenance funds obligated for the project.

The UH-72 Lakota is a twin-engine light utility helicopter based on the Eurocopter EC145. The rotorcraft is used for non-combat zone and domestic operations by the U.S. Army Reserve and National Guard, such as VIP transport, light cargo, Homeland Security operations and medical evacuations.

The Lakota can carry up to eight passengers or two litters along side a medic and crew chief. It has been proposed as an armed scout helicopter or other combat roles, but has been restricted to non-combat duty operations. The Lakota has been shifted largely into a training use, however they can quickly be made combat-ready should the Army need them, Airbus told UPI.

About 400 of the Lakotas have been delivered to the U.S. military, with the great majority of them currently in service -- the U.S. Army has more than 160 and the Air National Guard uses more than 210.