The US Army Air Ambulance Detachment, 5th Aviation Battalion at Fort Polk, LA, has received three new MEDEVAC-configured Lakota UH-72As for its air medical operations. Over the coming years, this US Army base will replace its entire fleet of UH-1 Iroquois (“Hueys”) rotorcraft with Lakotas. Unit members received the aircraft at American Eurocopter’s assembly and production facility in Columbus, MS, and ferried them back to Fort Polk. Army aviators praised the speed and fuel-efficiency of the LUH, which travels 20 to 30 knots faster and weighs 11,100 pounds lighter than the Huey. They also commented on the ease of loading patients through the UH-72A’s rear clamshell doors, as well as its excellent performance in low-visibility conditions. It's an all-weather helicopter with autopilot, a glass cockpit and an advanced avionic package. These are configured for MEDEVAC operations, so it has racks for medical equipment such as monitors and oxygen, and litter racks for two patients. By early 2010, there will be six Lakotas at Fort Polk. The last two UH-72As are scheduled for delivery to the base by the summer of 2011.