- The new VH-92 Patriot helicopter is used only on sidewalks
- Lockheed is still figuring out how to prevent the grass from being scorched
- The production of a new presidential fleet cost $5 billion
President Joe Biden’s new $5 billion fleet of presidential helicopters has been downgraded to the second tier as they continue to scorch the grass on the South Lawn of the White House.
For now, the VH-92 Patriot will only land on paved runways, because that’s how it is spinning rotors and engine exhaust sometimes scorch the grass where it lands, Bloomberg News reported.
The problem was first identified in 2018 and Biden is using VH-3D Sea King until the scorched earth situation is resolved.
The new VH-92 Patriot helicopter used as Marine One cannot land on the South Lawn of the White House because it sets the grass on fire
Lockheed has delivered 20 VH-92 helicopters to the Marine Corps under the $5 billion program, Lockheed spokeswoman Melissa Chadwick told Bloomberg. She said the company believes it has found a solution and will begin testing soon.
The distinctive green helicopter with white top has been used to transport presidents since 1975.
Dwight D. Eisenhower became the first sitting president to travel by helicopter from the White House to Camp David on July 12, 1957.
The South Lawn of the White House is a major access point for moving a president to his next location. The use of a helicopter means that the presidential motorcade will not add to Washington DC’s notorious traffic.
Biden will use the presidential helicopter to travel to Joint Base Andrews to board Marine One for longer trips. He also uses it to go to Wilmington, Del. for a weekend. or to visit Camp David, the presidential retreat in the mountains of Maryland.
A mix of the old and new helicopters is currently being used.
At a business forum in Connecticut last year, Paul Lemmo, president of Sikorsky, which designed the helicopter, revealed that the VH-92A helicopters are already operational for certain presidential missions.
“Right now there is a mix of the new aircraft and the old aircraft, and in a year or so we expect the VH-92 to completely take over,” Lemmo said, according to CT Insider.
Sikorsky, owned by Lockheed Martin, is a leading aerospace company.
Sikorsky said it expects to complete the 23rd and final helicopter in the summer of 2024. The fleet will be flown by Marine Helicopter Squadron One (HMX-1).
The old VH-3D Sea King helicopter is still used to transport the President from the White House and back
Lockheed has delivered 20 VH-92 helicopters – the new version of Marine One – to the Marine Corps under the $5 billion program
President Biden uses Marine One to travel to Joint Base Andrews for longer trips or to Wilmington, Delaware, for weekends there
HMX-1, based at Marine Corps Air Facility Quantico in Virginia, serves as the United States Marine Corps’ special helicopter squadron, flying the president, vice president and other VIPs.
Sikorsky began building the new Marine One helicopters in 2019 and delivered the first two prototypes in November 2021.
That year, the Government Accountability Office estimated the VH-92A’s price tag at $218 million for each helicopter, for a total program cost of $5 billion.