Unique helicopters loaded for transport

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Chase Hedrick
  • 14 Flying Training Wing Public Affairs
COLUMBUS AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. --  The Army filled a Mississippi Air National Guard C-17 Globemaster III with a special cargo of three specially modified UH-72 Lakotas here on June 4.

The Lakota helicopters are being taken to the U.S. Army Kwajalein Atoll in the Republic of the Marshal Islands, where they will be used for general support operations such as inter-island transport.

These unique helicopters were built as part of an order of 345 helicopters from a factory in Columbus, Miss., said Army Lt. Col. Dave Bristol, the light utility product manager at Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Ala.

Colonel Bristol described the aircraft as a diverse multirole helicopter. "The aircraft's very well suited based upon the needs of the mission" he said. The UH-72 can be used for many functions; homeland security, medical evacuation, search and rescue and VIP purposes said Colonel Bristol.

All of the helicopters have been made and modified with safety in mind.

"We fly 99 percent of the time over water" said Army Lt. Col. Jay Curry, the deputy commander of the U.S. Army Kawjalein Atoll/Reagan Test Site as well as the director of the Kwajalein Support Directorate. The aircraft have been painted orange for better visibility, floats and lifeboats have been added, and the doors may be jettisoned in case of an emergency said Colonel Bristol.

Some other special modifications have been added as well. The helicopters have been treated with an acid resistant coating for the corrosive saltwater environment said Colonel Curry. Some of the helicopters has been fitted with a hoist, and another has been modified for medical evacuation capabilities.

This is the second time the Army has moved Lakota helicopters through Columbus Air Force Base. The move has been good so far said Colonel Bristol. He also beamed that the support received from Columbus AFB had been top notch and very professional.