The President's New Helicopter

LiveScience.com ^ | 5/8/06 | Jonathan Keats

[dead]

(a) Do we need 27?

Yes. It’s not like you can just pick a helicopter up and drop it somewhere else.

[roaddog727]

Blade # 5 of the Rotor.

Artist rendition thing going on I suppose.

[santorumlite]

How long will they use this fleet for?

You'd have to see how much a current new fleet of marine one helicopters now that they are using would cost.

I don't even know who made this decision. Probably the secret service.

Good to know Hillary and Bubba will get the reward.

[YummiBox]

In the article it says the 6.1 billion is for a fleet of 23 choppers.

[mysterio]

This seems a tad wasteful. But then again, our pal the government has never really been a penny pincher. Still, $250 mil a piece? Please.

[santorumlite]

The new helicopter is not 6 billion that is for the whole fleet.

This decision was probably made by the secret service to have new technology to protect against missles. Who really knows.

But I can guarantee you even the current fleet of marine one helicopters they are using now aren't cheap.

[theDentist]

OK.





SO just how was I "Bush bashing"?

[Red Badger]

That's the double top secret antenna for contacting the Space Aliens.......

[ikka]

Why not have the President fly in whatever our Marines are actually being required to use?

[Salgak]

Read the FINE print. That's total program cost. $110 million per bird. Base helicopter is likely in the 40-60 million per unit range: add the electronics and defensive suites, and 110 mil per is a reasonable conclusion.

Remember, brand-new LIGHT helicopters range from 1-8 million each for civilian-spec birds. . .

[clawrence3]

I don't have a problem with this purchase - it was awarded last year you know.

[sticker]

Here is what should be used:

[Red Badger]

Why doesn't this thing have NOTAR?.........

[Blackirish]

Sikorsky gtot the shaft.

Something about how this deal helps the brits if I recall.

[pollyannaish]

I don't know, but is it possible that those might actually cost more—especially once they are armed with firepower and personnel?

While this sounds like a great deal to armchair critics, my suspicion is that it is well in line with other military equipment.

[Excuse_My_Bellicosity]

I had to read it twice. Sure enough, it's billion with a "b". At triple the cost of a B-2, that damn thing had better be stealth, ride so smooth that Mr. Prez can drink an open cup of coffee without spilling any on his tie, and be able to reconfigure itself into a James Bond mini-submarine.

[faq]

I bet a nice border fence could be built for less than the cost of the President's helicopter fleet. A fence sounds really cheap by that comparison.

[subterfuge]

Good post with actual, useful info.

Each of them are undoubtedly outfitted with the latest IRCM lasers. The ones I build are $330,000.00 each and these birds will likely have 2 or 3 on board. The price should come down a little by 2009 though.

[Military family member]

Just how long does this thing spend in the air at any given moment? I thought Marine 1 took the President and family from the WH to Camp David, or Andrews Air Force Base. Are either of these trips that extensive to require meals in-flight or a bathroom?

Hey, the president can do like my grandfather used to insist before trips..."Go now before we leave, cause I'm not stopping til we get there!"

[hosepipe]

[ Why not make an Osprey the new Marine 1? ]

You would think?... LoL... Wonder why?.. LoL...