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EADS North America CEO welcomes call for flight demonstration for Armed Scout helicopter replacement

Washington, 11 October 2011

EADS North America CEO Sean O’Keefe today applauded the Army’s call for a flight demonstration of potential offerings to replace the aging Kiowa Warrior armed helicopters:

“Our Armed Aerial Scout 72X (AAS-72X) is just the kind of program envisioned by the Congress when it enacted the Weapon Systems Acquisition Reform Act of 2009. The AAS-72X is based on the highly successful UH-72 Light Utility Helicopter, a commercial off-the-shelf platform that is proven, flying in the Army inventory today and already modified for a range of missions, including the security and support battalion requirement.

“Competition is the most effective selection process for the warfighter, taxpayer and industry. As such, we welcome the call for a flight demonstration. Our Armed Aerial Scout 72X is flying and we’re ready to prove its capabilities.”

The EADS North America Armed Aerial Scout 72X (AAS-72X) is a highly capable helicopter for the Armed Aerial Scout mission. The AAS-72X combines the safety of a twin-engine aircraft and the high/hot operating performance necessary to meet the Army’s demanding Armed Scout mission. Derived from the same family of aircraft as the UH-72A Lakota Light Utility Helicopter, the AAS-72X is a low-risk evolution of the U.S. Army’s newest rotary-wing aircraft, which is widely considered to be one of the most successful acquisition programs in the service’s history.

Production of the AAS-72X will take place at American Eurocopter’s Columbus, Miss. helicopter center of excellence where the UH-72A Lakota is currently manufactured for the U.S. Army and National Guard. EADS North America has delivered more than 190 UH-72A Lakotas to the U.S. Army, all on time and within budget, along with five H-72A versions to the U.S. Navy for test pilot training.

About EADS North America
EADS North America is the North American operation of EADS, a global leader in aerospace, defense and related services. As a leader in all sectors of defense and homeland security, EADS North America and its parent company, EADS, contribute over $11 billion to the U.S. economy annually and support more than 200,000 American jobs through its network of suppliers and services. Operating in 17 states, EADS North America offers a broad array of advanced solutions to its customers in the commercial, homeland security, aerospace and defense markets.

About EADS
EADS is a global leader in aerospace, defense and related services. In 2010, the Group - comprising Airbus, Astrium, Cassidian and Eurocopter – generated revenues of € 45.8 billion and employed a workforce of nearly 122,000.