ARLINGTON, Va. and NASHVILLE, Tenn., May 4, 2009
EADS
North America announced today it has assembled a world-class industry
team comprised of Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] and American Eurocopter
that will offer a new armed scout helicopter solution to the U.S. Army
— the Armed Scout 645. The announcement was made today at the Army
Aviation Association of America’s 2009 Annual Convention in Nashville,
Tenn., where a full-scale helicopter is on display.
The Armed
Scout 645 is based on the highly successful Eurocopter EC145 commercial
airframe that is the platform for the Army’s UH-72A Light Utility
Helicopter (LUH). The Armed Scout 645 will be produced at American
Eurocopter’s Columbus, Miss., facility where UH-72A Lakotas are
currently manufactured.
“EADS North America is pleased to
welcome Lockheed Martin to our industry team. Lockheed Martin is a
leader in defense and brings extensive knowledge of rotary-wing system
integration to the Armed Scout 645 industry team,” said EADS North
America Chief Operating Officer David R. Oliver, Jr. “We’re confident
that our team has a low-risk technical path to meet or exceed the
performance requirements the Army outlined in the Sources Sought
document. Our highly-capable and best-value solution will meet the
Army’s armed scout capability gap, and has the flexibility to respond
to the customer’s evolving mission scenarios in both current and future
conflicts.”
Lockheed Martin has a 25–year legacy of unmatched expertise
in Army aviation mission equipment components and subsystems
integration, as well as worldwide logistics support to the Armed
Forces. This experience includes Army attack helicopter programs,
including the Modernized Target Acquisition Designation Sight/Pilot
Night Vision Sensor (Arrowhead®) system, LONGBOW Fire Control Radar,
Video from UAS for Interoperability Teaming – Level 2 (VUIT-2) and
HELLFIRE missiles.
“EADS is recognized as a world-class provider
of rotary-wing platforms for both military and commercial use, and
Lockheed Martin is proud to join them on the Armed Scout 645 industry
team,” said Tom Simmons, Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control vice
president of Fire Control programs. “As we have successfully
demonstrated on other combat-proven rotary- and fixed-wing programs, we
are committed to providing superior, best-value solutions. We have the
expertise necessary to integrate the mission equipment package on this
platform with the lowest risk possible.”
EADS North America’s
Armed Scout 645 will provide powerful twin-engine performance and
survivability, particularly in the demanding high/hot operating
environments called for by today’s Army requirements. “Today’s
warfighters need the most capable aircraft that ensures success the
first time, every time. EADS North America is committed to leading an
industry team that will meet the armed scout mission requirements for
our warfighters,” added Oliver.
The Armed Scout 645’s modern
design and modular weapons systems architecture ensures low lifecycle
costs, maintainability and maximum operational reliability, resulting
in high operational readiness rates to meet changing Army mission
requirements over time. Its small footprint allows transportation by
C-17 aircraft with minimum reconfiguration upon arrival in the
operating area. The helicopter’s large, unobstructed main cabin is
easily reconfigurable for maximum mission flexibility.
EADS
North America, as the prime contractor, has delivered 67 UH-72A Lakotas
to the Army and Army National Guard since November 2006, with all
aircraft supplied on or ahead of schedule and within budget. The UH-72A
is recognized as one of the most rapid aircraft introductions in Army
aviation history. The growing fleet in Army service has passed the
10,000 flight-hour milestone, demonstrating mission performance and
reliability in operations throughout the United States. To date, 128
Lakotas have been ordered by the Army, with plans to acquire a total of
345 UH-72As by 2016.
For more information about the Armed Scout 645, visit www.armedscout.com.
For more information about the UH-72A Lakota Light Utility Helicopter, visit the program website at www.UH-72A.com.
About EADS North America (www.eadsnorthamerica.com)
EADS
North America is the North American operation of EADS, the second
largest aerospace and defense company in the world. As a leader in all
sectors of defense and homeland security, EADS North America and its
parent company, EADS, contribute over billion to the U.S. economy
annually and support more than 200,000 American jobs through its
network of suppliers and services – EADS is the largest purchaser of
U.S. aerospace products.
Operating in 17 states, EADS North America
offers a broad array of advanced solutions to its customers in the
commercial, homeland security, aerospace and defense markets.
About American Eurocopter (www.eurocopterusa.com)
American
Eurocopter is the U.S. subsidiary of Eurocopter, the largest helicopter
manufacturer in the world, and EADS North America Holdings, the North
American operation of EADS, the second largest aerospace and defense
company in the world. American Eurocopter is a helicopter manufacturer
and the company markets, sells and supports the broadest range of civil
and para-public helicopters offered by any manufacturer. The product
line represents the most cost-effective, technologically-advanced
helicopters, ranging from light single to heavy twin, serving all
markets and missions. American Eurocopter's headquarters and main
facility are in Grand Prairie, Texas, with a large manufacturing and
production facility in Columbus, Miss. and its West Coast Regional
Support Facility in Long Beach, Calif.
About Lockheed Martin (www.lockheedmartin.com)
Headquartered
in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin is a global security company that
employs about 146,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in
the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and
sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services. The
corporation reported 2008 sales of .7 billion.
For more information, please click external link at bottom of page, or contact Eurocopter Southern Africa by clicking here
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