Operational History
The French Sécurité Civile (Civil Guard), French Gendarmerie and the Landespolizei (State Police) of Hesse, Germany became the first operators of the EC145 when they received initial deliveries of the helicopter in April 2002. Two of the Sécurité Civile helicopters have crashed since delivery, with one being lost during a mountain rescue operation on Mount Arbizon in the French Pyrenees on 20 July 2003 and the other crashing during a police rescue exercise near Garvarnie in the Pyrenees on 5 June 2006 with the loss of three lives.
In 2006, the "UH-145", a military variant of the EC145, was selected for the United States Army's Light Utility Helicopter Program, beating three other helicopters. The deal involves the supply of 345 helicopters, with options for additional aircraft. The total value (including service and maintenance) is approximately $3 billion.
The planned 345 helicopters have been designated UH-72 Lakota by the U.S. Department of Defense for the United States Army. The first UH-72A was delivered in December 2006.
Read more about this topic: Eurocopter EC145
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