EADS To Conduct Flight Demonstrations Of Its Armed AAS-72X Helicopter

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EADS To Conduct Flight Demonstrations Of Its Armed AAS-72X Helicopter By Steve Hall

		April 19, 2011 - EADS North America this week is conducting flight demonstrations of its company-funded Armed Aerial Scout 72X (AAS-72X) helicopter at the Nashville International Airport to coincide with a nearby military aviation exposition. The company and its industry team of American Eurocopter and Lockheed Martin have made a significant investment in the development of three AAS-72X Technical Demonstrator Aircraft (TDA), which are being used to conduct parallel development and risk reduction activities, and to demonstrate the aircraft's increasing level of capability and technical maturity. The AAS-72X is based on the highly successful EC145 commercial helicopter platform. The AAS-72X demonstration aircraft is equipped with a Mission Equipment Package (MEP) that includes a chin-mounted turret with integrated targeting sensor, manned-unmanned teaming capability, communications suite and weapons.

"EADS North America and its Armed Scout team has achieved every milestone we've set in developing a highly capable helicopter that will meet the Army's armed aerial scout mission," said EADS North America CEO Sean O'Keefe. "Bringing one of our three technical demonstrator aircraft to Nashville enables Army leadership and aviators to see and experience these accomplishments first-hand." The Technical Demonstrator Aircraft made its first flight in December 2010, and is being used to validate the AAS-72X's ability to meet the U.S. Army's current armed aerial scout mission requirements. Prior to first flight of the TDA helicopter, the company conducted high/hot hover-out-of-ground-effect, endurance and payload testing in 2009 at Alamosa, Colo., successfully operating at 6,000 feet and 95-degree density altitude. The team also conducted a key transportability test when five militarized EC145 aircraft were successfully loaded in a C-17 transport aircraft. Additionally, EADS North America and Lockheed Martin established a System Integration Laboratory (SIL) and hangar in April 2010 at Lockheed Martin's Orlando, Fla. facility. "Having a fully-capable laboratory enables high fidelity integration and testing and results in the lowest-risk MEP solution for the AAS-72X," said Bob Gunning, vice president of Fire Control at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control. "We have made significant investments to ensure our state-of-the-art MEP provides a best value, superior solution to meet the warfighters' armed scout mission requirements."

A highly capable helicopter for the Armed Aerial Scout mission, the AAS-72X combines twin-engine safety with the high/hot operating performance critical to the Army's Armed Scout mission. The AAS-72X is derived from the same family of aircraft as the UH-72A Lakota Light Utility Helicopter. The result is a low-risk evolution of the U.S. Army's newest rotary-wing aircraft, which is widely considered one of the most successful acquisition programs in the service's history.

Production of the AAS-72X will take place at American Eurocopter's Columbus, Miss. helicopter center of excellence where the UH-72A Lakota is currently assembled for the U.S. Army. EADS North America has delivered more than 160 UH-72A Lakotas to the U.S. Army on time and within budget, along with five H-72A versions to the U.S. Navy for test pilot training.

		American Eurocopter is a helicopter manufacturer that produces, markets, sells and supports the broadest range of civil and para-public helicopters offered by any manufacturer in the United States. The company is a subsidiary of EADS North America Holdings, the North American operations of EADS, a global leader in aerospace, defense and related services, and is an affiliate of Eurocopter, the largest helicopter manufacturer in the world. Other News Stories (For the latest news please checkout our home page) Civil Aviation Authority Sets Out Policy On Performance Based Navigation Discovery Air Announces Debt Repayment Moller International Schedules Test Flight Of The M400 Skycar U.S. Air Force And Northrop Honor 50 Year History Of The T-38 Talon Jet Boeing Delivering 787 Pilot Training On Global Scale FAA Spoke On Biometric Pilots Licenses Before U.S. House Committee NTSB Report Details How Close United Airlines Flight 889 Came To A Midair FAA Administrator Changing ATC Scheduling Practices ICAO Standards Weak On Shipping Lithium Batteries By Aircraft Report Shows UK Airline Pilots Suffer Significant Fatigue New Touch Screen Attendant Control Panel For Airplane Cabin Upgrades 2011 Bahamas & Caribbean Pilot's Guide Now On The iPad Hawaiian Airlines Pilots Raise Money For Victims Of Japan?s Tsunami Sikorsky And Other Pioneering Aviation Families Support Lindbergh?s LEAP Program Airline Traffic Up 2.2 Percent From January 2010 B/E Awarded Cabin Seat Contract On Lufthansa?s A330 And A340 Aircraft L-3 To Begin Upgrading The Navy?s EP-3E Aircraft Avionics Suite E-2D Advanced Hawkeye Program Completes Successful DAB Review GE Aviation Breaks Ground For New Research & Development Center BA Cabin Crew Strike On Hold Both Sides Believe Issues Can Be Solved FAA's Head Of ATO Resigns Amid Reports Of Controllers Falling Asleep FAA To Add Additional Staffing On The Grave Yard Shift At 27 Control Towers Grassroots Campaign To Improve Airport Passenger Security Screening Airlines Participate In ICAO Volcanic Ash Crisis Exercise Finnair Publishes More Extensive Corporate Responsibility Report Delta TechOps Expands Partnership With Evergreen Aviation Technologies Northrop?s Lake Charles Aircraft Maintenance Center Selected MRO Of The Year Eurocopter Attends LAAD 2011 Defense Show To Expand Presence In Latin America Honolulu Coast Guard Receives New MH-65 Dolphin Helicopter FAA Announces Barbados Does Not Comply With ICAO Safety Standards UAE Air Force Receives First Airbus Military A330 MRTT