Lockheed Martin subsidiary Sikorsky delivers the 23rd and final next-generation VH-92A presidential helicopter to the United States Marine Corps at a ceremony at its Owego, NY facilities. The acceptance of the helicopter marked a significant milestone for the company whose aircraft have flown every U.S. president since 1957.
“This delivery represents a significant milestone and new chapter in the rich, 67-year history of Marines providing helicopter transport of the president of the United States. The VH-92A Patriot brings increased capabilities for this no-fail mission supporting the Commander-in-Chief around the world,” said Lieutenant General Bradford Gering, Deputy Commandant for Aviation. “Sikorsky’s contribution to Marine Aviation has enabled your United States Marine Corps to be a ready and lethal fighting force.”
According to Sikorsky, the VH-92A helicopter program was concluded under budget and within the planned delivery schedule. The new helicopter will transport the president and vice president of the United States along with other officials. The VH-92A has earned the moniker “White Top” due to its notable white and green livery.
Developing the VH-92A Presidential Helicopter
The presidential helicopter is a modified version of the Sikorsky S-92, and it was modified at the company’s facilities in Owego and Stratford, CT, based on government-defined requirements.
“Once again, Sikorsky’s highly-skilled employees have shown their ability to innovate, manufacture, and deliver these next-generation VH-92A presidential helicopters that will be operating worldwide in support of presidential missions well into the future,” said Richard Benton, Sikorsky vice president and general manager. “This milestone is a credit to our valued and long-lasting partnership with the Marine Corps as we provide a highly-tailored solution for the Marine Corps’ unique, critical mission.”
While the final helicopter has been delivered, President Joe Biden only took his first flight on the new VH-92A this week from Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport to the parking lot of Chicago’s Soldier Field. The delay in employing the Patriot as the presidential helicopter was delayed due to communication issues that have been resolved.
For two years of testing, the helicopters have carried White House staff and security personnel. The total cost for the 23 aircraft – including 21 operational models and two prototypes for testing – was reported to be around $5 billion.
In addition to the VH-92A Patriot “White Top,” the smaller VH-60N “White Hawk” – a heavily modified version of the UH-60 Black Hawk – has been used to transport presidential and VIPs since 1988. Nine are in service that can take the role of Marine One.
The similar “Gold Top” variants are used to transport members of the Joint Chiefs, Congressional leadership, and Pentagon personnel, and it is operated by Alpha Company 12th Aviation Battalion based at Fort Belvoir, Virginia.
History of Army One and Marine One
While the presidential airplane has the call sign “Air Force One” whenever the commander-in-chief is on board, the helicopter earns the designation “Marine One.” Any Marine Corps aircraft carrying the vice president without the president onboard has the call sign “Marine Two.”
Today, the helicopters are operated by Marine Helicopter Squadron One (HMX-1) “Nighthawks.” More than 800 Marines supervise the operation of the fleet of helicopters, which are based at Marine Corps Air Facility Quantico, Virginia.
Dwight D. Eisenhower has the distinction of being the first sitting president to travel by helicopter. According to the Smithsonian’s National Air & Space Museum, President Eisenhower made the first flight on July 12, 1957, in a heavily modified H-13J during a simulated nuclear attack staged to test how quickly the chief executive and other government officials could depart from the nation’s capital and reach a haven outside the city.
“Technicians added all-metal rotor blades, special arm and foot rests to the right seat, and a frame-less, Plexiglas nose bubble heavily tinted to reduce glare and heat. Eisenhower’s personal helicopter pilot, United States Air Force Major Joseph E. Barrett, flew the rotorcraft from the center seat and a Secret Service agent occupied the left seat,” the Smithsonian explained. “An identical Bell H-13J, assigned the Air Force serial number 57-2728, usually accompanied the President’s helicopter. This aircraft carried his physician and another Secret Service agent.”
While the modified Bell H-13J is in the collection of the National Air and Space Museum, it is not currently on display.
It seemed that Eisenhower didn’t mind flying in the helicopter, and he certainly played a significant role in the adoption of the first official presidential helicopters – as the chief executive sought a way to quickly travel to his summer home outside of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. It had been determined that flying the presidential plane was impractical, in part due to the fact that there was no paved runway to support a large fixed-wing aircraft. That led to a Sikorsky UH-34 Seahorse being commissioned for the role. Unlike the modern presidential helicopter, the UH-34 was lean on amenities, lacking a lavatory and having no air conditioning. Modified UH-34s were used until 1961 when the VH-3A was introduced.
Until 1976, the Marine Corps shared the responsibility of transporting the president with the U.S. Army – with the latter’s helicopters having the call sign “Army One” when the chief executive was onboard.
The upgraded VH-3D entered service in 1978, followed by the VH-60N in 1987 – with nearly two dozen of the two models available to carry the president and other prominent individuals. The older VH-3Ds will be retired as the VH-92A Patriot enters service.
Helicopter Preferable to Car
The helicopters are the preferred method of short-distance travel for the president over motorcades, which are more expensive and logistically difficult – almost always requiring roads to be shut down. As a security measure, multiple helicopters fly in a group with as many as five identical helicopters – one carrying the commander-in-chief and the others serving as decoys.
It has been reported that the rotary aircraft are equipped with anti-missile countermeasures including flares to counter heat-seeking missiles and chaff to counter radar-guided missiles. All members of the HMX-1 are required to pass a “Yankee White” background check.
When the president travels greater distances in the United States or overseas, a presidential helicopter is transported via a C-17 Globemaster or C-5 Galaxy military transport. One is already on standby at a hangar or local airport/air base and ready to depart if needed during such trips.
Since the introduction of the presidential helicopter, it has employed the White House South Lawn as its landing zone.
