Photo Info

The Army Guard’s New Workhorse: the Airbus UH-72B

By Michael Tosi

Published on: February 1, 2022
Estimated reading time 24 minutes, 29 seconds.

Valor reports from the cockpit of the U.S. Army’s new UH-72B Lakota training and utility helicopter.

Photos by Dianne Bond

Call it inherent skepticism and a touch of jaundice from too many years on the wrong end of military acquisitions, but as I strapped into Airbus’s follow-on to the UH-72A Lakota, I found it hard to believe a helicopter this modern would be in the hands of Army aviators in a matter of weeks. Terms and phrases like ergonomic, intuitive, reliable, and pilot-centric are not often associated with military rotorcraft as of late. Typically, by the time the procurement process is complete on a new military airframe, the technology, particularly in terms of avionics and automation, is a decade or more out of date. That is assuming it even works as advertised when it finally gets into the hands of service members.

The five bladed Airbus H145 (BK117-D3)—the newest civilian offering—is the baseline for the U.S. Army B-model Lakota.

The United States Army recognized this as it was looking to acquire a helicopter for use domestically and, to avoid the maladies typically associated with a blank-slate procurement, decided to acquire a commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) “solution,” or helicopter in non-defense lingo. Eliminating the capabilities and redundancies associated with combat operations would further allow the Army to reduce acquisition and operating costs. The LUH or “Light Utility Helicopter” contract was ultimately awarded to Eurocopter (now Airbus) for the EC-145 (BK117-C2). On delivery, it was coined as the “UH-72 Lakota.” 

Since awarding the LUH contract to Airbus in 2006, the Army has acquired over 460 UH-72As, well in excess of the initial contract award of approximately 300 aircraft. Intended to support non-combat operations such as search and rescue, medical evacuation, counter-drug reconnaissance and general utility, its role has also expanded into that of the Army’s sole basic trainer. 

Implementation of the Lakota as a basic trainer has been controversial due to the no-bid nature of the contract, as has the increased complexity and maintenance costs associated with a twin-engine helicopter. I spoke with several Army aviators currently flying the UH-72A in the Guard and the feedback was largely positive for those original mission sets. They were complimentary of the reliability, avionics, and general ease of use, with the only consistent complaint being a lack of power in higher density altitude settings. 

Aimed at air ambulance operators, the helicopter was designed to be safely flown by a single pilot under instrument flight rules.

As production of the EC145 (BK117-C2) airframe for the civilian market is steadily winding down, it was a natural transition for the Army to move to the five-bladed H145 (BK117-D3) — the newest civilian offering from Airbus — as a baseline for the B-model Lakota. Among the benefits of a COTS acquisition, the Army bypasses the traditional model of paying for research and development to update an airframe and capitalizes on the 15 years of R&D that’s been required to stay competitive in the commercial sector at no additional cost. 

Initial Impressions 

Much like the UH-72A, all new B-model Lakotas are completed at the Airbus final assembly line in Columbus, Mississippi. The facility is where the majority of the Airbus product range in North America is completed and where I’d be flying the UH-72B demonstrator. After making our way through a tour of the expansive and immaculately kept facility, we headed to the flight line and amongst dozens of other EC145s/UH-72As. There we found the Army’s first production UH-72B, also the demonstrator aircraft I’d be flying, and met Airbus factory instructor and former Army pilot, Aaron Hupp, who I’d be flying with. 

Stepping into the cockpit is quite the experience. Replacing the hodgepodge of digital displays in the UH-72A are three sleek multifunction displays, which trim a significant amount of clutter off the instrument panel, with the additional benefit of increasing forward visibility. Below on the center console are twin Garmin GTN-750s, audio panels, climate control, autopilot, and tactical radio. While the cyclic is similar to the A model, the collective is a substantial departure from the previous design, eliminating the traditional twist grip throttles, which are replaced by switches located just below the center MFD. The only area without significant changes is the upper console, which retains the previous design, albeit with different switch configurations. 

Collectively, the changes make the cockpit seem far more intuitive, pilot-centric, and substantially less cluttered than its predecessor. As technology has progressed, military rotorcraft often lagged modern civilian aircraft in providing a useable interface for the pilot to effectively utilize all the information and automation the aircraft can provide. To combat this trend, the three MFDs feature the Airbus proprietary avionics, known as “Helionix.” With several hundred hours of time in Helionix equipped aircraft, I’ve continually been impressed by the intuitiveness of the system, particularly how it interacts with the twin Garmin GTN-750s and four-axis autopilot. 

With air ambulance operators a primary target market for the helicopter, the aircraft was designed from the ground up to be safely flown by a single pilot under instrument flight rules (IFR). As a result, I feel comfortable saying, particularly when it comes to avionics for operating within the National Airspace System, the aforementioned features combine to make the new Lakota the most capable and user-friendly helicopter in the U.S. military inventory. Even the newest M-model UH-60 Black Hawks seem antiquated when it comes to the automation and avionics in the UH-72B. 

Start Up & Taxi 

After strapping in, Hupp and I ran the quick start checklist, a new addition for the UH-72B. While the full engine start checklist is already an improvement over the UH-72A, taking a little over five minutes to complete, the quick start is a game changer. It takes less than a minute from strapping in, to engine start, with the procedure for the start itself being remarkably simple. Both switches can simultaneously be moved from “off” to “idle,” with the engines starting in the order the switches were flipped, and the full-authority engine control (FADEC) offering hot start protection. Admittedly I’m a bit torn about the deletion of the twist grip throttles. While I absolutely love the simplicity it brings to the cockpit and more specifically the collective, the lack of options when it comes to tail rotor malfunctions are a touch concerning. 

The auto-hover system is tremendously intuitive, enabled with a double click of a button on the cyclic and adjusted with the trim hats. Michael Tosi Photo

After turning on the various consumers and moving the throttle switches to “flight,” the aircraft is ready to go. Amazingly enough, the longest part of the quick start procedure is waiting for the second Garmin GTN to finish loading. Over the course of a day of flying, particularly one requiring multiple starts and shutdowns, the quick start really helps reduce pilot fatigue. Additionally, the fully automated FADEC starts are a vast improvement and markedly less stressful than those in A model, which require manual modulation of the throttle, increasing the likelihood of a hot start. 

Hupp took the initial pick up and flew us out to the taxiway for some hover work, along with a demonstration of the various ground trajectory command automated hover (GTC-H) modes, a new addition to the B model. For anyone familiar with the UH-72A or EC145, pulling the new Lakota into a hover is essentially the same, with some subtle differences mostly due to a slightly different center of gravity. Far more noteworthy is the inclusion of the auto-hover modes, a valuable addition for hoist operations and even restricted visibility approaches. 

The B-model fully automated FADEC starts are a vast improvement and markedly less stressful than those in A model, which require manual modulation of the throttle, increasing the likelihood of a hot start.

I found the system to be tremendously intuitive, enabled with a double click of a button on the cyclic and adjusted with the trim hats. Put simply, you can keep clicking the trim direction you want to go, with one opposite click to stop movement in that direction, or you can take manual control of a given axis by depressing the trim switch on either the cyclic or collective.

I’m generally skeptical of auto-hover modes, given how dynamic and fast-moving real world hoist operations are. But depending on the scenario, I’d be far more inclined to utilize the Airbus GTC-H mode than other automated hover systems I’ve flown. I spoke with several civilian H145 pilots who’ve used the same system during civil SAR hoisting evolutions, and they related positive experiences with the system. It’s also a viable option for restricted visibility approaches, with the helicopter flown above the clouds, GTC-H mode enabled, then the helicopter lowered to just off the ground using either the collective or altitude dial. 

First Flight 

Upon completion of the simulated hoist evolution, it was time to depart for some straight-and-level flight to answer the million-dollar question: Does the five-bladed rotor system solve the problems with excessive vibrations in the four-bladed H145 D2? The short answer is, yes. It works as advertised, drastically reducing vibrations in both the front and back of the helicopter. For those not familiar, the four-bladed H145 (BK117-D2) suffered from significant main rotor vibrations felt in the cabin. 

The only limitation with aggressive maneuvering is the potential mast moment exceedance during rapid roll transitions.

Admittedly, this curiosity stemmed from my civilian job flying the four-bladed H145. These vibrations were never an issue for the Army, as the UH-72A is a derivative of the EC145, which never suffered the pronounced vibration issues the four-bladed H145 did. With that in mind, the ride quality of the B-model Lakota is still a drastic improvement over its predecessor and again, markedly better than any military helicopter I’ve either flown or ridden in.

After some time acclimatizing to the aircraft in straight-and-level flight, Hupp put us into simulated one-engine-inoperative (OEI) conditions using the “training” button. It’s exponentially simpler to use than the previous system and presents itself almost identically to how an actual engine failure would occur — from the appropriate indications on the MFDs down to the right yaw. 

The ride quality of the B-model Lakota is still a drastic improvement over its predecessor.

This type of failure is an almost non-event during most regimes of flight and gross weights, thanks in large part to the new Safran Arriel 2E turboshaft engines. These engines are a drastic improvement over their predecessors. The power difference is readily apparent, allowing the aircraft to constantly be flown right up to max gross weight, while still allowing for vertical takeoffs/hover out of ground effect (HOGE) at all but the highest altitudes. Part of the start-up procedure involves entering the weight of the aircraft at engine start. Power calculations are then displayed and continually updated through the duration of the flight, accounting for the current fuel state, as well as atmospherics. This eliminates the need for “tab data” or “TOLD” calculations, helping to reduce crew workload. 

In the theme of emergency procedures, Hupp demonstrated recoveries from inadvertent entry into instrument meteorological conditions (IIMC) using the upper autopilot modes. In the event of spatial disorientation, a simple double tap of the cyclic “autopilot on” button will automatically engage the autopilot and recover the aircraft to a level attitude. If in high or rising terrain, this can be coupled with a quick press of the go-around button on the cyclic, putting the aircraft into a 1,000-foot (300-meter) per minute climb. 

“In the event of spatial disorientation, a simple double tap of the cyclic ‘autopilot on’ button will automatically engage the autopilot and recover the aircraft to a level attitude.”

These features, coupled with synthetic vision, add a level of comfort I find myself dearly missing when flying other military aircraft, particularly in marginal weather or on low illumination nights. Given how frequently the military rotorcraft community has suffered fatal accidents caused either by spatial disorientation or controlled flight into terrain during IIMC encounters, these capabilities should unquestionably be standard on all new military rotorcraft.

As the flight drew to a close, I asked to do a bit of aggressive maneuvering to simulate what could be expected in a combat environment. While the U.S. Army Lakota was never intended for deployed or combat operations, several countries operate the four-bladed H145M in their inventory of deployable combat aircraft and I was curious to see how the new five-bladed variant would perform in such a role. Additionally, many Army Guard units are still required to maintain low level currency in the Lakota, which can involve aggressive maneuvering.  

With the defense industry lagging the civilian sector in developing new airframes, COTS solutions like the UH-72B likely will become more commonplace for certain roles.

We performed a series of evasive maneuvers, with rapid climbs and descents, as well as rolls in both directions. The only limitation in the aggressiveness of the maneuvering is the potential mast moment exceedance during rapid roll transitions from one direction to the other. Otherwise, the aircraft felt nimble with no lag in control inputs, due in large part to the inherent responsiveness of a rigid rotor head design. Quick stops were easy to judge, as the first limit indicator has a line showing what collective position the rotor will decouple and start increasing, helping set the appropriate position for optimum deceleration. 

Final Thoughts 

For the casual observer, it would be easy to dismiss the switch from the UH-72A to the UH-72B as inconsequential, just another blade and the addition of an enclosed Fenestron tail rotor. While I’d be reticent to call the jump truly revolutionary, it’s not far off, particularly in the context of avionics and ergonomics. As someone who flies several hundred hours a year in both the EC145 and H145-D2 (four bladed), it’s hard to overstate just how drastic an improvement the UH-72B Lakota will be for Army aviators currently flying the UH-72A. 

As this article makes it to press, the first production UH-72B will already be in the hands of U.S. Army Guard aviators. With increased range and payload, as well as drastically improved ride quality and avionics, there’s no objective metric, aside from speed, where the B-model isn’t an improvement over its predecessor. Based on conversations with those currently flying the A-model and my prior experience with the H145, the new model will offer a significant jump in capability for nearly all current mission sets.

For those who’ve never experienced the frustrations of operating and maintaining military aircraft, it is difficult to convey just how pleasant it is to operate an aircraft that “works.” Everything from having confidence the aircraft will actually start, to logical and intuitive avionics that function without requiring workarounds or have an overly complex interface. I’ve lost track of the times I’ve heard military aviators say, “I wish we could use a Garmin” or “I wish Apple would design this,” as opposed to some overly complicated system that doesn’t function intuitively.

The UH-72B Lakota represents a drastic improvement over the UH-72 for Army aviators.

As the defense industry increasingly lags the civilian sector and developing new airframes from the ground up becomes increasingly cost prohibitive, COTS solutions like the UH-72B likely will become more commonplace. While I’m still reticent about the limitations of employing such solutions in combat and the Lakota was clearly never designed for such environments, I hope many of the features and intuitive interface spill over into the next generation of combat helicopters. 

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Notice a spelling mistake or typo?

Click on the button below to send an email to our team and we will get to it as soon as possible.

Report an error or typo

Have a story idea you would like to suggest?

Click on the button below to send an email to our team and we will get to it as soon as possible.

Suggest a story