The Aviation Today web site had the breaking news first! For all up-to-the-minute aviation news, go to
www.AviationToday.com for the latest
information and analysis. If you regularly consult Aviation Today, you would have read this story, hot off the presses:
Drumroll, please: the news on LUH is finally in. Waiting until after the U.S. stock market closed in the afternoon, the U.S. Army announced today
that is has awarded a $43.09 million contract to EADS North American Defense of Arlington, Va. for the production and contractor logistics support of
the Light Utility Helicopter. The Army intends to procure and field a total of 322 Light Utility Helicopters beginning in Fiscal Year 2007. "The Light
Utility Helicopter contract action we signed today will have far reaching effects," said Col. Cory Mahanna, Utility Helicopters Project Manager. "This
fleet of U.S. Army aircraft will benefit America in crisis situations, like those associated with Hurricanes Katrina and Hugo, and the aftermath of
the Mount St. Helens' explosion. The LUH will be our Army's 'first responder' during future disaster scenarios. This new aircraft will give our
soldiers an important new tool for use in the defense and security of our homeland." The LUH is a commercial/non-developmental item aircraft to
conduct light general support, civil search and rescue, personnel recovery, air ambulance medical evacuation, casualty evacuation, limited civil
command and control operations in the conduct of homeland security, and counter-drug operations. The LUH is intended to perform these functions only
in permissive, non-combat operational environments. The primary users for the LUH are the active Army units and the Army National Guard.
Access Intelligence, LLC * 4 Choke Cherry Road, 2nd Floor * Rockville, MD * 20850 * USA