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.