Posted on 05/08/2006 10:28:35 AM PDT by NormsRevenge
After decades of upgrades to a fleet of notoriously cramped Sikorsky VH-3 Sea Kings, the White House has tasked Lockheed Martin with a dramatic, $6.1-billion makeover of Marine One, the presidential helicopter, starting this summer. The goal: to fit a mobile Oval Office into the tight quarters of a chopper. The new fleet will consist of 23 VH-71 aircraft, each of which will have 200 square feet of cabin space, nearly double the Sea King’s 116.
Aside from the legroom, the copter will incorporate major upgrades to the old defense and communications systems. Equally important is that the aircraft is flight-proven—the $110-million bird is derived from a European-built AgustaWestland EH101, currently doing military service for Canada and the U.K. Here, an inside look at the revamped Marine One, set to gradually go into service between 2009 and 2014.
(Excerpt) Read more at livescience.com ...
(a) Do we need 27?
Yes. It’s not like you can just pick a helicopter up and drop it somewhere else.
Blade # 5 of the Rotor.
Artist rendition thing going on I suppose.
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.
In the article it says the 6.1 billion is for a fleet of 23 choppers.
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.
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.
OK.
SO just how was I "Bush bashing"?
That's the double top secret antenna for contacting the Space Aliens.......
Why not have the President fly in whatever our Marines are actually being required to use?
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. . .
I don't have a problem with this purchase - it was awarded last year you know.
Why doesn't this thing have NOTAR?.........
Sikorsky gtot the shaft.
Something about how this deal helps the brits if I recall.
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.
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.
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.
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!"
You would think?... LoL... Wonder why?.. LoL...
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