Light Utility Helicopter (LUH)
On 23 February 2004, the United States (US) Army announced the results of the Aviation Modernization Task Force, which included the termination of the Comanche Helicopter Program. As a result, the Army restructured aviation organizations to reflect current and anticipated needs.
On June 30, 2006 the U.S. Army awarded a contract for the production and contractor logistics support of the Light Utility Helicopter (LUH) to EADS North American Defense of Arlington, VA. The UH-145 Light Utility Helicopter was designated the UH-72A Lakota , since the VXX had been designated the VH-71 Kestrel.
The Light Utility Helicopter will provide organic general support at Corps and Division Levels. The primary mission for the LUH is to provide aerial transport for logistical and administrative support. Considerations for the LUH include SLEP of the UH-1 fleet, or the purchase/lease of an Aircraft already in production. The requirements for the LUH are not yet determined. A need exists for a Light Utility Helicopter that can provide reliable administrative-type aerial support at reduced operating and support (O&S) costs.
First Unit Equipped goal is 30 October 2008. The LUH is intended to replace Vietnam era UH-1H and OH-58A/C aircraft. Light Utility Helicopter is a program to fill the niche missions in which the UH-60 capability may be less than optimal. The LUH cockpit will incorporate Force XXI digital battlefield capability. All nav/com avionics and selected flight instruments will be replaced with Multifunctional Display (MFD). The LUH will be supportable and maintainable within the current aviation force structure.
The LUH will require an increase in manpower when compared to the OH-58A/C however, the LUH manpower requirement is the same as the UH-1H. No increase in manpower is envisioned for Maintenance and Support personnel requirements.
The LUH will provide organic general aviation support at Corps and Division level. The primary mission for the LUH is to provide aerial transport of staff and liaison elements, air messenger service, air movement of supplies, maintenance support, and limited command and control. Through it’s speed and agility, the LUH will meet time sensitive transport requirements for urgently needed documents, supplies/equipment, and/or limited number of forces that are not already available through an existing ground transportation network.
The Army will need to retain 140 UH-1 and 125 OH-58A/C as a bridging strategy until a replacement LUH is identified. A buy of 255 LUH would be a solution for TDA MEDEVAC, CTC Support, Test Centers, State RAID missions and general administrative support allowing complete divestment of UH-1/OH-58A/C (190 LUH are currently programmed in POM 06-11). LUH with contractor maintenance could be a savings in sustainment dollars, reduce RC maintenance manpower, displace UH-60 mission aircraft back to TOE fleet.
As the Army transforms and the aviation fleet is necked-down to four aircraft types, the requirement for a Huey-sized light utility helicopter remains. The non combat LUH or TDA (Table of Distribution & Allowance) missions required by ATEC and AMC and the Combined Training Centers such as NTC and JRTC will continue after the Army retires the Huey fleet. The Foreign Military Sales (FMS) training at Ft. Rucker will continue for EURONATO and South American helicopter pilot training. The DEA funded RAID (Reconnaissance And Interdiction Detachment) mission now performed by the National Guard with 125 OH-58A/C’s will most-likely be continued after the Army retires the OH-58s. Over and above these missions are the yet to be determined helicopter requirements for the Homeland Defense (HLD) mission.
These missions can be most cost effectively supported by one airframe such as the Bell 210. It is FAA certified, commercially supported and operating at 42 percent less per hour than the current Huey and at approximately $530/hr, 1/4th the cost of the Black hawk. The $3M investment buys all these missions; TDA, training,RAID and Homeland Defense as a non-deployable, commercially supported asset for operational requirements here in the United States, allowing US Army combat assets to be deployed for combat missions. A comparable Huey-sized commercial off the shelf (COTS) helicopter would cost approximately $5M The Bell 210 will be a zero-timed airframe with dual hydraulic system and new electrical system that will make this a like-new LUH to perform Army missions for the next 20-30 years. Fully supported commercially, it will relieve the Army of all engineering and logistical support burden.
The Army will not deploy LUHs outside the United States. Given the Army's decision to restructure its aviation force into modular aviation units of action, it is hard to understand how the Army intends to employ LUHs in formations which include UH-60 Black Hawk, AH-64A Apache, and CH-47D Chinook helicopters. The aviation expeditionary regiments of the six Army National Guard divisions which would contain the LUH would not have capabilities similar to those of the aviation brigades of the National Guard heavy divisions and the Active Force.
The Light Utility Helicopter, operating as a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certified rotorcraft, shall provide for occupant protection in a crash through designs that protect aircraft crew and passengers. The Army requests information on industry's ability to meet the design standards for crashworthiness and crew survivability as defined by the Federal Aviation Regulations (FAR) Part 27 or Part 29, Sections 561, 562, and 785 as of December 13, 1989. The Army seeks information on whether or not rotorcraft currently in production and commercially available meet the FAA design standards listed. In addition, for those aircraft that do not meet one or more of these sections, the Army seeks to understand to what level of crashworthiness the aircraft is certified. If the aircraft does not meet one or more of these sections provide information on the design standard they currently do meet as well as the costs and schedule associated with obtaining FAA certification.
The program objective is to acquire and field a Light Utility Helicopter (LUH) system that satisfies the requirements of the Capability Development Document (CDD) and the Capability Production Document (CPD) in support of the Army Aviation Transformation Objectives.
The Army currently utilizes a mix of rotary wing aircraft to accomplish a wide range of administrative and logistical missions, as well as supporting the Homeland Security (HLS) role assigned to selective units of the Army National Guard (ARNG). These aircraft provide general support (GS) at various posts, camps, and stations both in CONUS and OCONUS and, in some HLS missions, are also deployed OCONUS. In most instances, the aircraft now assigned to these missions have reached their serviceable life and must be replaced. In other cases, the aircraft used in this role are much more capable than required for the role and consequently expensive to operate and maintain.
The LUH will provide an airlift capability that will be able to conduct light General Support (GS) missions and will replace aging and costly to operate rotary wing aircraft currently performing in this role.
The LUH will be acquired as a Commercial-Off-the-Shelf (COTS)/Non-Developmental Item (NDI) aircraft that is Federal Aviation Agency (FAA) Type Standard Certified and will be maintained to retain that certification throughout the life cycle. The aircraft will operate in permissive, non-hostile, non-combat environments to satisfy light, GS mission requirements of Tables of Organization and Equipment (TOE) and Tables of Distribution and Allowances (TDA) units within both active and reserve components (Army National Guard - ARNG).
General support TOE mission requirements include time-sensitive transport for urgently needed supplies, parts, equipment, documents, and/or personnel. The TDA light GS mission needs include observer/controller aircraft at Combat Training Centers (CTC), aircraft to provide force protection and installation security in sensitive areas (e.g., test sites, ranges, etc.), and chase/instrumentation aircraft for technical or operational testing. The aircraft utilized by the ARNG in the HLS role are deployable overseas and undertake the conduct of operations in a permissive environment wherein the host country maintains control of the airspace.
When the operational need arises, the LUH will facilitate the commander’s ability to conduct disaster relief operations, civil search and rescue, augmentation of UH-60 MEDEVAC aircraft, counter drug operations, conduct of Homeland Security, and other mission requirements such as catastrophic emergencies and support to civilian agencies against internal threats or national emergencies if directed by the President.
Program
It has been determined that the intended mission of the replacement helicopter can best be satisfied through the acquisition of an aircraft that is Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certified. The LUH is the Army’s solution to meet these requirements.
In addition, the procurement will provide for engineering services, and allocates Contractor logistic support to the delivered systems to include training, procurement of parts support, and field and depot sustainment maintenance. The goal is to purchase a helicopter that can provide reliable and sustainable general and administrative support in at reduced acquisition and operating and support costs.
The Government will award one contract from this solicitation to the responsible Offeror whose proposal is determined to offer the best value to the Government, based upon the Government's evaluation of Cost, Technical, Producibility/Manufacturing, and Past Performance factors.
The solicitation will result in a contract to procure LUH systems, pilot training, maintainer training, fielding support, and contractor logistics support (CLS). The award of the basic contract is projected for FY05.
Performance
The LUH technical requirements are derived from the LUH Capability Development Document dated 23 September 2004. The system attributes are defined as Key Performance Parameters (KPP), threshold and objective requirements and one go/no go (FAA Certification) requirement.
The LUH shall operate in a high/hot environment defined as 4,000 feet pressure altitude and 95o Fahrenheit in the standard mission configuration. The LUH aircraft shall have an internal useful load of no less than 1,500 pounds during high/hot operations, in addition to the two crew, and full mission fuel plus a 30 minute reserve using not more than 100 percent maximum rated power (MRP) for takeoff.
The LUH in standard mission configuration, shall be capable of achieving an operational range of no less than 217 nautical miles operating in the defined high/hot environment (4000’ / 95° Fahrenheit pressure altitude), with full crew, full mission fuel, using a 1-minute takeoff, cruise at 0.99 Velocity Best Range, with 30-minute reserve.
The LUH aircraft, in basic mission configuration, shall be capable of a minimum of 2.8 hours of operation with a 30-minute reserve without the use of auxiliary fuel or Forward Arming and Refueling Points (FARPs).
The internal cabin size, as well as points of entry and exit, of the LUH aircraft shall reasonably accommodate the loading, unloading, and transport of a pilot, co-pilot, and no less than two NATO standard litters with patients, one medical attendant with equipment, and one additional passenger. The cabin size of the LUH aircraft shall accommodate the seating and transport of a pilot, co-pilot, and no less than six passengers when not in the MEDEVAC configuration.
The LUH aircraft shall be VHF-AM radio compatible with International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) frequency and modulation schemes, to include 118-137 MHz with 25 KHz U.S. and 8.33 KHz in Europe channel spacing. The LUH aircraft shall operate with extended frequency coverage for Military use (137-152 MHz, VHF-FM); compatible communications with U.S. Coast Guard (maritime, 156-174 MHz, VHF-FM); Military (225-400 MHz, UHF-AM); and law enforcement, fire, and forestry (400-511 MHz FM). The LUH aircraft shall have a global navigation satellite system receiver that provides protected precise position, velocity, and time (PVT) information, for use in civil and military airway and non-precision approach structures. The LUH shall be capable of conducting Instrument Meteorological Conditions (IMC) recovery through an instrument landing system (ILS) or a VOR/TACAN/GPS type system. The LUH aircraft shall have a Mode S transponder to operate in class B and C national airspace.
The LUH shall have a probability of 0.90 (Objective value of 0.95) of successfully completing a 3.67 hour mission without experiencing a mission abort. The LUH RAM requirements are defined by the mean time between system abort (MTBSA) and MTTR. To meet these operational missions, the MTBSA is set at a minimum of 35 hours.
