ARLINGTON, VA: EADS North America’s Armed Scout 645 will be the centerpiece of the company’s presence Oct. 5-7 at the Association of the U.S. Army’s annual convention — underscoring the helicopter’s readiness as a low-risk, highly capable and best-value solution to fulfill the Army’s current and long-term Armed Aerial Scout mission requirements.
This next-generation helicopter offering would strengthen U.S. Army capabilities in performing combat missions for both current and future conflicts while also meeting the demanding combat environments encountered at higher elevations and hotter temperatures.
A full-scale flying Armed Scout 645 demonstrator helicopter will be displayed prominently at EADS North America’s exhibit (booth # 3131) at the Washington, D.C. Convention Center. The aircraft can be equipped with a full combat mission package including an EO/IR sensor, VUIT-2 (Unmanned Aircraft Systems for Interoperability Teaming – Level 2), 2.75″ rockets, Hellfire missiles, a 7-shot rocket pod and a .50 caliber machine gun.
The Armed Scout 645 demonstrator to be showcased at the AUSA annual meeting is the same helicopter that performed a series of successful “high/hot” flight tests in Alamosa, Colo. earlier this year. These flights validated the Armed Scout 645’s ability to meet all of the U.S. Army’s previously-stated armed aerial scout performance requirements — even in the most challenging combat environments.
During these flight trials, the Armed Scout 645 demonstrator helicopter — operating from a takeoff elevation of more than 7,500 feet, equipped with a simulated 2,300-pound Mission Equipment Package — successfully hovered-out-of-ground-effect at a density altitude of 6,000 feet and 95 degrees Fahrenheit. This is a key requirement included in the Army’s Sources Sought document issued in October 2008.
EADS North America’s Armed Scout 645 is based on the same airframe as the highly successful UH-72A Lakota Light Utility Helicopter it is currently delivering to the U.S. Army. The world-class industry team assembled by EADS North America for the Armed Scout 645 includes Lockheed Martin as the Mission Equipment Package integrator, and American Eurocopter — which will build the aircraft at its Columbus, Miss., facility where Lakotas are currently manufactured.
The Armed Scout 645’s modern design and modular weapons systems architecture ensures low lifecycle costs, maintainability and maximum operational reliability — resulting in high operational readiness rates to meet changing Army mission requirements over time.
The Armed Scout 645’s small footprint allows an entire platoon to be transported by C-17 aircraft with minimal reconfiguration upon arrival in the operating area, while its large, unobstructed main cabin can be quickly reconfigured for maximum mission flexibility.
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.
