On 30 June 2006, the US Army selected the UH-145 for its Light Utility Helicopter Program. This was a “first-ever” in the annals of the largest helicopter operator in the world and a “first-ever” for Eurocopter, which managed to penetrate the US defense market. While the UH-145 is a European-designed helicopter, it will soon become American as most of the UH-145s will be manufactured at American Eurocopter's Columbus plant in Mississippi.