Biden takes inaugural flight in long-delayed new ‘Marine One’ helicopter

CHICAGO– President Joe Biden made his first flight Monday aboard the state-of-the-art VH-92A helicopter that serves as Marine One, after years of delays in the program to replace the aging planes that transport the president and vice president.

Biden boarded the Sikorsky-made helicopter after arriving on Air Force One in Chicago, where he is scheduled to speak at the Democratic National Convention on Monday night. The first presidential trip took him from O’Hare International Airport to the parking lot of Chicago’s Soldier Field, which is often used as a landing pad for presidential trips.

It was a major milestone in a two-decade process to replace Vietnam-era helicopters that, in some cases, have been transporting presidents since the 1970s.

The Bush administration began purchasing new helicopters to improve communications and mission capabilities after September 11, 2001, but President Barack Obama backed out due to massive cost overruns.

The new program was started by the Obama administration, and the helicopter, dubbed the “Patriot” by its manufacturer, made its public debut during the Trump administration. But problems with the helicopter’s secure communications system — required so the president can conduct secret conversations and make military decisions in emergencies — and a tendency to scorch the White House South Lawn led to years of delays in the program.

Last year, the Marine Corps reported that the communications problems had been resolved, but it was unclear whether the modifications to the exhaust system eliminated the threat to the grass surrounding the White House.

Marine Helicopter Squadron One, which operates the aircraft, has been using the VH-92 helicopters in regular service for several years, including test flights around Washington, D.C., and to transport White House and security personnel. The last 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 approximately $5 billion.

The new helicopters are based on the commercially available Sikorsky S-92 and are larger and have a longer range than the older VH-3D and VH-60N models.

___ Associated Press writers Tara Copp and Lolita C. Baldor contributed to this report.