November
11, 2006: The U.S. Army has ordered 42 UH-145 helicopters, for about five
million dollars each, from European firm EADS. Eventually, the army plans to
buy 332. The UH-145 is a militarized version of the EC145, a helicopter very
popular with law enforcement agencies, including the FBI. The UH-145 purchase
is a side effect of the cancellation of the Comanche helicopter, which was
perceived as too expensive and complex for army needs. When the Comanche was
cancelled, money was freed up to buy other light helicopters. The UH-145 will
replace the aging UH-1 transports, and some OH-58 scout helicopters. The 3.6
ton UH-145 has a top speed of 260 kilometers an hour and a max range of 660
kilometers. Average endurance per sortie is about two hours. The helicopter has
a crew of two, and can carry up to eight passengers, or about three-quarters of
a ton of cargo or weapons. The EC145 was introduced four years ago, and has
been very popular with its users.
The
first UH-145s will arrive before the end of the year. The army is also buying
smaller Bell 407s (as ARH-70A), as replacements for the OH-58 (which is itself
a militarized version of the older Bell 206.) ARH stands for or armed
reconnaissance helicopter. The UH-145 mainly serves as a lighter version of the
UH-60 transport, and the first ones will go to medical units. The army is
experimenting with using some UH-145s for jobs the OH-58 did, but for now, the
plan is to replace all OH-58s with Bell-407/ARH-70A.
