On Friday, August 14, 2026, the US Army Contracting Command (ACC) at Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, acting on behalf of the US Department of Defense, awarded Airbus Helicopters, Inc., part of the European Airbus Helicopters division of Airbus SE, a contract worth 115,406,740 USD, with options increasing the potential value to 140,716,352 USD, for the delivery of up to 12 upgraded UH-72B Lakota (MBB-BK 117 D3) light utility helicopters.
Photo: Airbus Helicopters
In addition to the complete helicopters, the contract also covers jettisonable cockpit doors, installation of air-conditioning systems and engine inlet barrier filters, as well as Lakota program management. Work will be performed at Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, and is expected to be completed by December 31, 2030. Funding for the base order comes entirely from savings generated under the FY2024 and FY2025 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) budgets.
The base order covers 10 helicopters, with options for two additional aircraft.
The new helicopters will join the 18 UH-72Bs whose deliveries began on September 7, 2021, to US National Guard units. They were produced at Airbus’s facility in Columbus, Mississippi.
Airbus Helicopters disclosed the US Army order for the new helicopter variant on August 28, 2020, during the virtual exhibition of the National Guard Association of the United States.
The UH-72B is the latest iteration of a commercially proven aircraft that entered military service as a light utility helicopter in 2006 with the signing of the first Lakota contract. The US Army values the benefits of acquiring commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) helicopters, as they benefit from improvements introduced through the normal evolution of the aircraft without requiring government funding for development.
Based on the popular H145 helicopter, previously known as the EC145/BK 117 C2, the UH-72B incorporates a number of technical improvements introduced by Airbus engineers to enhance both flight safety and performance. These include a five-blade main rotor, an enclosed Fenestron tail rotor, Safran Arriel 2E turboshaft engines providing 20% more power—2 x 1,039 hp/775 kW compared with the UH-72A’s Arriel 1E2 engines rated at 2 x 738 hp/550 kW—and the Airbus-developed Helionix avionics suite.
The Helionix suite includes an advanced dual four-axis autopilot that helps maintain proper flight parameters, protects against exceedance of operational limits, and enables automatic takeoff and transition to hover.
The US Army operates 463 older UH-72As, of which 50 are being upgraded under a contract awarded to Airbus on August 21, 2023. The design won the Light Utility Helicopter (LUH) program for a new light multirole helicopter. The aircraft are used primarily for training and replaced UH-1H/V Huey and OH-58A/C Kiowa helicopters, as well as the oldest UH-60A Black Hawks, in US Army and National Guard units.
An unmanned UH-72 ULC (Unmanned Logistics Connector) is being developed for the US Marine Corps (USMC), while Airbus is also developing the international U145.
See also: