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Airbus Helicopters UH-72 Lakota fleet surpasses one million flight hours with U.S. Army, Navy and National Guard units
The Airbus Helicopters UH-72 Lakota fleet has exceeded the 1 million flight-hour mark some 15 years after the first Lakota UH-72A entered service for the U.S. Army and following the first delivery of the newest UH-72B to the National Guard, as announced at the Association of the United States Army (AUSA) trade show in Washington, D.C.
“Many of the men and women who build the Lakota in Mississippi are U.S. military veterans themselves, and they take a lot of pride in supporting the aviators who serve our nation,” said Scott Tumpak, who is responsible for Airbus military helicopter programs in the U.S. “The million-hour milestone is a testament to the commitment of that workforce who has supported unprecedented on-time deliveries, and to the reliability and versatility of the aircraft they build.”
Airbus delivered the first Lakota helicopter to the Army in 2006, the same year the UH-72A was competitively selected as the Army’s new light utility helicopter, and it has since delivered 463 of this initial Lakota model that primarily serves as the U.S. Army’s initial entry rotary-wing training helicopter. Earlier this year, the Army introduced the first UH-72B Lakota to its National Guard fleet, the first delivery of an order placed in 2020 for 18 of the newest Lakota variant. The UH-72B is based on the widely successful H145, which incorporates various product enhancements that have been developed during the life cycle of the commercial aircraft. The efficient Fenestron tail rotor, more powerful engines, enhanced controls and the Airbus Helionix avionics suite, to name a few, will provide added benefits for mission safety and flight performance.
By the end of October 2021, the Lakota will be operational for Army and National Guard units in 45 states and territories. It is also flown by the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School and Royal Thai Army. It is a key enabler of U.S. Army combat training in Ft. Irwin, California, Ft. Polk, Louisiana, and Hohenfels, Germany, as well as the test range mission at the Kwajalein Atoll in the Pacific. The Lakota’s missions are as varied as its operating locations and include training, general utility, search and rescue, disaster response, homeland security, drug interdiction, command and control, and VIP transport. Lakotas have been employed extensively in responding to wildfires, hurricanes, floods and other disasters across the country and abroad in recent years, including most recently to provide support following devastating natural disasters in Haiti.
First Helicopter Engine Runs Using 100% Sustainable Fuel
Safran Helicopter Engines recently performed a world first at its Bordes facility (Pyrénées-Atlantiques, France); a helicopter engine run on 100 percent sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). During the test, a Makila 2 ran on a biofuel produced by TotalEnergies from residues and waste from the circular economy, specifically used cooking oil.
A test campaign will now evaluate the operational impact of using only SAF on a helicopter engine. To do this, the engine manufacturer will utilize a Safran Tech special facility known as “Bearcat” (Banc d’Essai Avancé pour la Recherche en Combustion et Aérothermique des Turbomachines), an advanced test bench for turbomachinery combustion and aerothermal.
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Franck Saudo, CEO of Safran Helicopter Engines says, “after the first flight of a rescue helicopter using 40% SAF in June, and the fuel’s gradual introduction for engine tests at our sites, we are now taking a new step toward using fuel made entirely from renewable sources. These tests are a key step in the realization of future test flights with our helicopter partners. By expanding the use of sustainable fuels among helicopter operators and at our sites, we will significantly reduce CO2 emissions over the entire life cycle of our products”.
“By offering our customers like Safran sustainable aviation biofuels produced in France, we are meeting a strong demand from the aviation industry to reduce its carbon footprint. The development of biofuels is one of the main thrusts of TotalEnergies’ multi-energy strategy to meet the challenge of decarbonizing the transportation sector. This is fully in line with the company’s climate change ambition of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050,” said Virginie Merini, senior vice president, Renewable Fuels at TotalEnergies.
Safran engines are already certified to operate with up to 50% SAF. With 100% incorporation, the lower carbon footprint of these fuels will reduce CO2 emissions by up to 80%.
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