EADS North America selects Lockheed Martin as Mission Equipment Package integrator for new Armed Scout Helicopter

EADS North America announced today it has assembled a world-class industry team comprised of Lockheed Martin and American Eurocopter that will offer a new armed scout helicopter solution to the US 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.