SAN JUAN, P.R., - Sharing ramp space with the decades old UH-60 Blackhawks and even older OH-58 Kiowas sits two helicopters so new they still have that new helicopter smell.
Known as the UH-72 Lakota, the helicopters are unique in many ways both in terms of their capabilities and even their procurement.
Purchased specifically to address the National Guard's unique state support mission, the Lakota is an off-the-shelf helicopter that shares many of its components with its civilian variant, the Eurocopter ® EC145.
using a commercially available airframe, the Army was able to lower development costs. Since the EC145 is widely used as a medical evacuation and search and rescue platform around the world, the Lakota is a well-tested platform.
Though the Lakota lacks the cargo capacity, payload or range of the larger Blackhawk it does bring a unique mix of capabilities to the fight.
"It is much more maneuverable than the Blackhawk," said Chief Warrant Officer 2 Carlos Acevedo, a UH-72 pilot with the Puerto Rico National Guard. "It also has more advanced avionics, a glass cockpit and autopilot."
Acevedo said flying the Blackhawk compared to the Lakota is like comparing a tractor-trailer to a sports car.
"It's much more exciting to fly, partly because of the aircraft's capabilities and partly because of the mission," he said.
Part of that excitement stems from the age of the Lakota. The Puerto Rico National Guard flies brand new Lakotas. They're not refurbished or excess from another unit. They were flown the 1,600 miles from the factory in Mississippi to Puerto Rico just a few months ago.
Since their arrival they have been used to support counter-drug operations through island patrols as well as other state support missions. In the past few weeks they have also been supporting the Puerto Rico National Guard's Haiti relief efforts by ferrying supplies and personnel to the Dominican Republic who in turn use the unit's UH-60 Blackhawks to directly support relief operations in Haiti.
Though the helicopters compliment each other, the Lakota pilots have a strong sense of pride for the Lakota.
"We're the first unit to operate them outside the continental United States, we have brand-new aircraft for the first time, and the aircraft we have are a perfect fit for the mission," Acevedo said. "Every day I get to fly one of the newest aircraft in the Army. I'm very lucky."