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.

For additional information about EADS North America’s AAS-72X, visit the website at: www.AAS-72X.com.