The First Medevac Deployment of the UH-72A Lakota

In July 2010, the 121st Medical Company (Air Ambulance)(-) of the DC Army National Guard became the first unit to deploy with medevac-configured UH-72A Lakota helicopters. The UH-72, a variant of the commercial Eurocopter EC145 helicopter, was selected in the Army's Light Utility Helicopter (LUH) competition and is being fielded by both active duty and National Guard units for a variety of missions. This paper presents an assessment of the first deployment of the UH-72 in an air ambulance role. With an understanding that the UH-72 is an example of a Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) acquisition program, the paper begins with an examination of the similarities and differences between typical civilian and military air ambulance operations. Next, the UH-72 is juxtaposed with the UH-1 Huey, the iconic aircraft it has been commissioned to replace for the 121st. Finally, a multidisciplinary appraisal of the performance of the UH-72 in its first deployment is presented.