AP IMPACT: New Army Chopper Overheats

AP IMPACT: New Army Chopper Overheats
Friday November 9, 2007 8:16 PM
By AARON C. DAVIS
Associated Press Writer

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) - The Army is spending $2.6 billion on hundreds of European-designed helicopters for homeland security and disaster relief that turn out to have a crucial flaw: They aren't safe to fly on hot days, according to an internal report obtained by The Associated Press.

While the Army scrambles to fix the problem - potentially adding millions to the taxpayer cost - at least one high-ranking lawmaker is calling for the whole deal to be scrapped.

During flight tests in Southern California in mild, 80-degree weather, cockpit temperatures in the UH-72A Lakota soared above 104 degrees, the point at which the Army says the communication, navigation and flight control systems can overheat and shut down.

No cockpit equipment failed during the nearly 23 hours of testing, according to the report, prepared for the Army in July. But it concluded that the aircraft ``is not effective for use in hot environments.''

The Army told the AP that to fix the cockpit overheating problem, it will take the highly unusual step of adding air conditioners to many of the 322 helicopters ordered.

The Army did not respond to questions about how much the retrofitting will cost and who will bear the expense.


Rest of article at: http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,,-7065016,00.html



uhc comment: The UH-72A is made by our old buddies, BAE.



The Army's new UH-72A Lakota will primarily be used by the National Guard to perform homeland security missions.


The UH-72A Lakota is the United States Army light utility helicopter that entered service in 2006, built by the American Eurocopter division of EADS North America.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UH-72A

It is a military version of the Eurocopter EC 145 modified to the Light Utility Helicopter (LUH) requirements. In June 2006, the US Army selected it as the winner of its LUH program with a 300+ aircraft fleet planned.


It appears the UH-72 is part of the oursourcing plan --> http://www.tradoc.army.mil/PAO/TNSarchives/October%2007/101507-1.html

Even Duncan Hunter (R-Asshole) wants to scrap the program --> http://patdollard.com/2007/11/09/hunter-scrap-the-lousy-euro-copter-buy-more-blackhawks/

I'm guessing the UH-72 bone was thrown to EADS when the $9,000,000,000 Comanche project was canceled --> http://www.defenseindustrydaily.com/luh-program-win-lands-eurocopter-in-us-defense-market-02398/


on edit to add: http://www.armytimes.com/news/2007/11/ap_desert_helicopters_071109/

~snip~

However, the Army decided it still needs to put air conditioning on about a third of the choppers, including those bound for hot climates like the Southwest, and all of those configured for medical evacuations, McCuin said.

“The Minnesota Air National Guard probably doesn’t need air conditioners,” he said. The cost of an air conditioning unit per aircraft is about $98,000, McCuin said. Redesigns to add vents, scoops and other devices to increase cockpit ventilation for the rest of the fleet could add millions more.

Despite the needed fixes, McCuin and other officers familiar with the Lakota lauded the aircraft, pointing to parts of McQueary’s report that found the aircraft does meet hovering, range, endurance and speed requirements.

The Army officials also stressed that the problems are being discovered and dealt with now, when just a few of the helicopters have arrived.

Loren Thompson, a military analyst with the Lexington Institute, a defense think tank in Virginia, said the Army is facing a new kind of criticism over the Lakota. Whereas the Army has been ridiculed for decades for overspending on aircraft, it now faces questions of whether it was too cost-conscious.

“The Army may be learning that its performance requirements are so demanding that adapting commercial helicopters is almost as hard as starting from scratch on a new military design,” Thompson said.


This camper is betting another multi-billion $$$ program will get canceled.