The US Army’s fleet of 219 UH-72A Lakota helicopters surpassed the 1,00,000 flight hour milestone during operations on May 10. The 1,00,000 flight hour aircraft, configured for Opposing Force training missions, was flown by Chief Warrant Officer 3 Jason Lacrosse and Chief Warrant Officer 4 Christopher Ezell of the Joint Multinational Readiness Center’s Falcon Observer/Controller-Trainer Team in Hohenfels, Germany, during a multinational training exercise.

The Army’s fleet of Lakota helicopters, built by the company’s American Eurocopter business unit in Columbus, Mississippi, have been in operation since November 2006 with all 219 helicopters to date delivered on schedule and within budget. The Army’s requirement is 345 Lakotas through 2016. An additional five aircraft have been delivered to the US Navy for test pilot training.