Marine One

[Matti Palosuo 366]

Joe Biden lensi maanantaina ensilennon USA:n presidenttien uudella Sikorsky VH-92A helikopterilla. Kyseessä oli siirtyminen Chicagossa O'Harelta demokraattien puoluekokouspaikalle.

https://www.wsaz.com/2024/08/20/biden-takes-inaugural-flight-long-delayed-new-marine-one-helicopter/

Quote

It marked a crucial milestone in a two-decade-long process to replace the Vietnam-era helicopters that have been in use carrying presidents, in some cases, since the 1970s.

An initial effort to purchase new helicopters was kicked off by the Bush administration in an effort to improve communications and mission capabilities in the post-September 11, 2001 environment, but it was scrapped by President Barack Obama after rampant cost overruns.

The new program was started by the Obama administration, and the helicopter, branded the “Patriot” by its manufacturer, made its public debut during the Trump administration. But issues with the secure communications system on board — required so that the president can carry out classified conversations and make military decisions in an emergency — as well as a tendency to scorch the White House South Lawn led to years of delays to the program.

Marine Helicopter Squadron One, which operates the aircraft, has been using the VH-92 helicopters for several years in regular service, including test flights around Washington, D.C. and to carry White House staff and security personnel. The final VH-92A helicopter was delivered earlier this month, giving the USMC 21 operational aircraft and two for testing. The total program cost for the 23 aircraft was about $5 billion.