North Carolina receives two Lakota helicopters
The North Carolina Army National Guard (NCNG) received delivery of two upgraded UH-72B Lakota helicopters on 9 November at its Morrisville flight facility
The aircraft were received by the 449th Combat Aviation Brigade. They will be assigned to Detachment 1, Bravo Company, 2-151st Aviation Regiment for use in a range of missions, including emergency response and counter-drug operations.
The UH-72B – a militarized version of the Eurocopter EC145 – is equipped with two Safran Arriel 2E engines fitted with Airbus’s new five-bladed rotor, as well as a Helionix avionics suite.
“The addition of the UH-72B greatly adds to what our NCNG aviation units can do for citizens in natural disasters,” says Colonel Benny Collins, State Aviation Officer for NCNG. “With more power and the 4-axis autopilot, it greatly enhances our ability to conduct helicopter hoist rescues.”
The UH-72B Lakota is also operated by eight other US states. West Virginia’s National Guard contributed two Lakotas in support of flood rescue efforts in eastern Kentucky earlier this year.
Oliver Cuenca
Oliver Cuenca was a Junior Editor at the Voyageur Group. He was previously a News and Features Journalist for the rail magazine IRJ until 2021, and studied MA Magazine Journalism at Cardiff University. His favourite helicopter is the AW169 – the workhorse of the UK air ambulance sector! He also led the creation of Waypoint: The AirMed&Rescue podcast, serving as its Production Editor and co-host.