* New Lakota aircraft will improve the state’s homeland security mission capabilities
*Source: DTN News / Int'l Media
(NSI News Source Info) BIRMINGHAM, Alabama - January 12, 2010: The Alabama Army National Guard’s ability to perform homeland security operations and carry out support missions within the state will be significantly enhanced with the introduction of four UH-72A Lakota Light Utility Helicopters delivered by EADS North America. 
The UH-72A Lakota is the best-value solution for the U.S. Army's new multi-mission Light Utility Helicopter (LUH) requirement.
These aircraft are being based at the Army Aviation Support Facility #2 in Birmingham, where the initial two Lakotas were formally unveiled during a ceremony today.
The Alabama Army National Guard’s Lakotas are assigned to Detachment 1, Company C, 2nd Battalion, 151st Aviation Regiment. The unit’s federal level missions include aerial command, control and reconnaissance in homeland security operations; and it also is tasked with state-level support for Alabama’s governor and community-based organizations.
“It is particularly appropriate that the Lakota has come to Alabama, which has developed a very strong relationship with EADS,” said David R. Oliver, Jr., EADS North America’s chief operating officer. “Our company has an important industrial presence in the state — with a growing engineering center and a recently-expanded aircraft service center in Mobile. We also look forward to the day when EADS can establish in Mobile a manufacturing center of excellence to support the Northrop Grumman KC-45 Tanker, as well as the production of A330 commercial freighters.”
The UH-72As are to replace Detachment 1’s aging OH-58 Kiowa helicopters, and are the first new aircraft coming directly to the Alabama National Guard in many years.
"We are extremely excited to be one of the states receiving the UH-72 aircraft,” said Alabama National Guard State Army Aviation Officer, Col. Charles A. Bonasera. “This aircraft brings the Alabama National Guard a much greater capability than its predecessor in the conduct of our homeland security/support mission requirements. The aviators that now fly this aircraft are also very excited and absolutely love what it does for their mission."
EADS North America has delivered 93 Lakotas to the U.S. Army and five to the U.S. Navy. The Army aircraft are based at active duty Army and Army National Guard locations throughout the United States, as well as in Puerto Rico. Future deployments of UH-72As are anticipated in the Pacific, Europe and Japan.
The UH-72A is a key element in the U.S. Army’s rotary-wing fleet modernization effort, and the program represents one of the most rapid introductions of an aircraft in the service’s history. The Light Utility Helicopter contract was awarded to EADS North America in June 2006, followed by the company’s startup of UH-72A deliveries in November of the same year. Operational service began in early 2007.
A total of 345 Lakotas are expected to be acquired through 2015 for U.S. Army and National Guard operations in missions that range from homeland security and drug interdiction to general support, logistics and medical evacuation flights. The aircraft enable aging National Guard OH-58 and UH-1 rotary-wing aircraft to be retired, while UH-72A deliveries to the active component of the U.S. Army free up UH-60 Black Hawks for assignment to warfighting missions. EADS North America has delivered five H-72A versions to the U.S. Navy for use in training test pilots from the U.S. military and allied countries. In addition to the current production of H-72As and UH-72As, EADS North America is offering the Armed Scout 645 variant for the U.S. Army’s armed aerial scout requirement.
Production of the UH-72A helicopter family is performed at a state-of-the-art facility in Columbus, Miss., which has created new job opportunities in the southern United States and throughout the country. The facility is operated by the American Eurocopter business unit of EADS North America.
About EADS North AmericaEADS 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.
The UH-72A Lakota is the best-value solution for the U.S. Army's new multi-mission Light Utility Helicopter (LUH) requirement.
These aircraft are being based at the Army Aviation Support Facility #2 in Birmingham, where the initial two Lakotas were formally unveiled during a ceremony today.
The Alabama Army National Guard’s Lakotas are assigned to Detachment 1, Company C, 2nd Battalion, 151st Aviation Regiment. The unit’s federal level missions include aerial command, control and reconnaissance in homeland security operations; and it also is tasked with state-level support for Alabama’s governor and community-based organizations.
“It is particularly appropriate that the Lakota has come to Alabama, which has developed a very strong relationship with EADS,” said David R. Oliver, Jr., EADS North America’s chief operating officer. “Our company has an important industrial presence in the state — with a growing engineering center and a recently-expanded aircraft service center in Mobile. We also look forward to the day when EADS can establish in Mobile a manufacturing center of excellence to support the Northrop Grumman KC-45 Tanker, as well as the production of A330 commercial freighters.”
The UH-72As are to replace Detachment 1’s aging OH-58 Kiowa helicopters, and are the first new aircraft coming directly to the Alabama National Guard in many years.
"We are extremely excited to be one of the states receiving the UH-72 aircraft,” said Alabama National Guard State Army Aviation Officer, Col. Charles A. Bonasera. “This aircraft brings the Alabama National Guard a much greater capability than its predecessor in the conduct of our homeland security/support mission requirements. The aviators that now fly this aircraft are also very excited and absolutely love what it does for their mission."
EADS North America has delivered 93 Lakotas to the U.S. Army and five to the U.S. Navy. The Army aircraft are based at active duty Army and Army National Guard locations throughout the United States, as well as in Puerto Rico. Future deployments of UH-72As are anticipated in the Pacific, Europe and Japan.
The UH-72A is a key element in the U.S. Army’s rotary-wing fleet modernization effort, and the program represents one of the most rapid introductions of an aircraft in the service’s history. The Light Utility Helicopter contract was awarded to EADS North America in June 2006, followed by the company’s startup of UH-72A deliveries in November of the same year. Operational service began in early 2007.
A total of 345 Lakotas are expected to be acquired through 2015 for U.S. Army and National Guard operations in missions that range from homeland security and drug interdiction to general support, logistics and medical evacuation flights. The aircraft enable aging National Guard OH-58 and UH-1 rotary-wing aircraft to be retired, while UH-72A deliveries to the active component of the U.S. Army free up UH-60 Black Hawks for assignment to warfighting missions. EADS North America has delivered five H-72A versions to the U.S. Navy for use in training test pilots from the U.S. military and allied countries. In addition to the current production of H-72As and UH-72As, EADS North America is offering the Armed Scout 645 variant for the U.S. Army’s armed aerial scout requirement.
Production of the UH-72A helicopter family is performed at a state-of-the-art facility in Columbus, Miss., which has created new job opportunities in the southern United States and throughout the country. The facility is operated by the American Eurocopter business unit of EADS North America.
About EADS North AmericaEADS 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.
IBCS is an integrated air- and missile-defense command and control capability. Enabled by a battlefield fire control network, the system will give warfighters the technology, tools and information they need to make better decisions on the battlefield.
IBCS will integrate current and future air and missile defense systems to allow warfighters to use any sensor and any weapon to achieve mission objectives in a true open-architecture environment.
The Northrop Grumman IBCS solution is based on a non-proprietary, open architecture approach that establishes a network-centric system-of-systems solution for integrating sensors, weapons, and battle management command, control, communications and intelligence systems (C4ISR). The solution uses common software and creates standard interfaces that will allow warfighters to take advantage of expanded sensor and weapon system combinations through an integrated fire-control network.
Systems that will be integrated via IBCS include Patriot, Surface-Launched Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile (SLAMRAAM), Joint Land Attack Cruise Missile Defense Elevated Netted Sensor (JLENS), Improved Sentinel radar, and-if the U.S. Department of Defense directs the inclusion-Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) and Medium Extended Air Defense System (MEADS).
"IBCS takes care of the science of warfare, so the warfighter can focus on the art of warfare. The system provides unparalleled situational understanding and the knowledge needed to make risk-based decisions in a highly time-sensitive environment," said Linda A. Mills, Northrop Grumman corporate vice president and president of its Information Systems sector. "We are honored to have been selected to help the Army get this critical capability deployed to the warfighter."
"Northrop Grumman has been a pioneer in providing integrated battle command solutions to our customers. IBCS is another evolution of a software and hardware development process that continues to affirm Northrop Grumman's commitment to leadership in providing net-centric solutions that are highly adaptable to the warfighter's needs in a rapidly changing environment," said Karen Williams, vice president for Air and Missile Defense Systems, Northrop Grumman Information Systems.
The Northrop Grumman team includes The Boeing Company; Lockheed Martin Corporation; Harris Corporation; Schafer Corporation; nLogic Inc.; Numerica; Applied Data Trends; Colsa Corp.; Space and Missile Defense Technologies (SMDT); Cohesion Force Inc.; Millennium Engineering and Integration Company; RhinoCorp Ltd.; and Tobyhanna Army Depot.
The Integrated Air and Missile Defense Project Office, Program Executive Office for Missiles and Space in Huntsville, Ala., manages the IBCS program. Northrop Grumman will also headquarter its IBCS program in Huntsville.
IBCS is expected in the field by 2014.
Northrop Grumman Corporation is a leading global security company whose 120,000 employees provide innovative systems, products, and solutions in aerospace, electronics, information systems, shipbuilding and technical services to government and commercial customers worldwide.
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"Before the deliveries to Miramar, Marines would have to spend months at a time in North Carolina for training," said Mark McGraw, Boeing vice president of Training Systems & Services. "Having two trainers in California increases warfighter availability while allowing the Marines to train more crew members at once."
The CFTD trains aircrew on basic aircraft familiarization and handling qualities, systems/sub-systems operation, communication, malfunctions, day and night flying, use of night vision goggles, formation flying, aerial refueling and landing on ships. The device is intended to train crews for any task that might be performed in the aircraft, while limiting the monetary and environmental costs and safety risks of in-flight training.
"We thank Miramar's warfighters for lending us their expertise," said McGraw. "They participated in pre-acceptance testing 'flyability' trials and provided around-the-clock availability for the acceptance testing."
Boeing has delivered a total of three CFTDs to the Marines to date. Two more of the devices are scheduled for delivery to Miramar in mid-2010. Another CFTD will be delivered to MCAS New River, N.C., in fall 2010, where it will join the first CFTD, which Boeing delivered in 2007.
All CFTDs can be locally networked to one another to allow for more robust training capabilities. The CFTDs at MCAS New River also will be able to network with AV-8 Harriers at MCAS Cherry Point, N.C.
Cost and cycle time have been progressively reduced for each CFTD, while simulator quality has increased. The projectors are sharper and clearer than those on earlier Osprey simulators. Future CFTDs will include additional improvements.
The V-22 Osprey is a tiltrotor aircraft manufactured by Boeing Rotorcraft Systems and Bell Helicopter, a Textron Inc. [NYSE: TXT] company. Bell and Boeing are teamed in a Strategic Alliance Agreement for the design, production and sustainment of the V-22.
Bell Helicopter, a wholly owned subsidiary of Textron Inc., is an industry-leading producer of commercial and military, manned and unmanned vertical lift aircraft and the pioneer of the revolutionary tiltrotor aircraft. Globally recognized for world-class customer service, innovation and superior quality, Bell's global work force serves customers flying Bell aircraft in more than 120 countries. More information is available at 
The fund, called the Enterprise Turnaround Initiative Corp of Japan (ETIC), has been considering a plan that would allow Japan Airlines to keep its listing on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, sources told Reuters last week.
The fund is still debating the issue but a delisting is currently its main scenario as it seeks to hold shareholders accountable for the carrier's downturn along with creditors being asked to forgive debt, the source said.
The source was not authorized to speak publicly about the issue. The ETIC declined to comment. The ETIC has proposed to JAL creditors that the carrier's restructuring include it filing for bankruptcy protection under the Corporate Rehabilitation Law, a process similar to Chapter 11 in the United States, sources have told Reuters.
Normally that would lead to a complete reduction of capital, wiping out the value of a company's shares.
But the ETIC has been considering a plan for a small portion of its capital -- at maximum a few percent -- to be retained. That would allow JAL to remain listed even after a bankruptcy filing, which sources say could come as early as January 19.
"A delisting is right now the main scenario," the source said. "But both options are still being considered and a final decision has not been made."
JAL's creditors, which include Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (
He is likely to become an acting captain in May and will then be bumped up to the full role later, with his salary eventually increasing to £44,000.
Harry, who joined the Army five years ago and serves with the Blues and Royals, is currently training to fly helicopters at Middle Wallop, Hants.
Wills, 27, a flight lieutenant in the RAF, is training to become a search and rescue pilot.