U.S. Army awards Airbus contract for helicopter modernization

Airbus was granted a $27.8 million contract by the United States Army to upgrade the Army National Guard Security & Support Battalion Mission Equipment Package (MEP).

The MEP upgrades increase the UH-72A Lakota’s ability to conduct day and night operations by adding an advanced moving map, improved digital interfaces, additional displays, an airborne mission management system, and other system improvements.

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The MEP-equipped UH-72As are specifically created to carry out National Guard activities across a variety of missions, including domestic operations, counter-drug, and border security. The Army contract will retrofit up to 50 Security & Support Battalion aircraft deployed throughout the United States. There are currently 107 in the fleet.

More than 480 UH-72A and UH-72B Lakota, based on the H145, have been supplied to the US Army since 2006. These aircraft will be modified at Airbus’ Columbus, Mississippi, helicopter production facility.

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Airbus U.S. Space & Defence will be in charge of overseeing the agreement. Airbus U.S. Space & Defence, Inc., which operates under a Special Security Agreement, provides cutting-edge satellite, laser communication, rotor, and fixed wing solutions to address the most demanding U.S. defence, security, space, and intelligence requirements.