Posted on 07/06/2007 3:48:20 AM PDT by A.A. Cunningham
First VH-71 presidential helicopter flies
By Graham Warwick
AgustaWestland has flown the first test aircraft built specifically for the Lockheed Martin VH-71 US presidential helicopter programme. The aircraft made a 40min flight on 3 July from the company's facility in Yeovil, UK.
Under Increment 1 of the programme, three additional test aircraft will fly by early 2008 and five pilot-production VH-71s will be delivered by October 2009 to meet the urgent requirement for a new presidential helicopter.
An improved version of the helicopter with increased performance will be developed for Increment 2. This will have uprated engines, a new transmission, longer rotor blades and extended tailboom to give the helicopter longer range and a command and control capability while in flight.
Orginal plans called for 18 new Increment 2 helicopters, plus upgrades to the Increment 1 machines, but because of the extensive changes the VH-71 team has recommended production of 23 new Increement 2 helicopters.
These will be assembled in the USA by Bell Helicopter, with missionisation by Lockheed Martin.
The first VH-71, designated Test Vehicle #2, will complete initial shake-down flying and begin avionics and systems testing in the UK before being delivered to the US Navy's test centre in Patuxent River, Maryland in the fourth quarter for structural testing.
VH-71 prime contractor Lockheed Martin is already using an EH101, designated TV-1, for initial testing in the USA, including landings on the White House lawn.
Very cool.
I used to work on this program when I was at Lockheed Martin. It’s exciting to see this progress!
I’m waiting for the first person to comment on the new paint job.....
It looks like an oversized grasshopper or a locust.
“I’m waiting for the first person to comment on the new paint job.....”
— —
Is that called “Monkey Puke Green”?
Someone’s gonna come to this thread and bitch about something. Just watch.
It’s called primer. They put it on the parts before they ever go on the chopper. It protects the parts until the real stuff goes on.
I get it now, its a redneck paint job?
Exactly.. ;-)
The official "Marine One" paint scheme is one of the very last steps before final inspection and delivery. The helicopters pictured above don't even have any of the special avionics or other VIP equipment installed yet.
I didn’t know that “Bondo” came in lime green..
Just wondering..what is an “Extended tailboom?”....is it a longer tail section..like a “stretched version”..or a boom that extends out from the tail...?..and what is it used for..
They stretched the roter blades so they would need to stretch the boom, ie. make the bird longer to fit the new blades.
Regards
ah..thanks...
Okay I'll give it a go
to meet the urgent requirement for a new presidential helicopter.
What 'urgent' requirement? Have the last ones stopped working? Why can't he just use the oversized overpriced car our tax dollars have paid for to get back and forth to the airport? Why exactly does the top politician (for that's all he is anyway) need a new helicopter? He ought to be glad he has the one he's got now
But please, do carry on with the excitement for another unnneeded government program. I'm quite sure this falls right under 'national defense'. I don't even want to know how much Lockheed fleeced the government for on this one. But heck it's just another couple billion. When it comes to the comfort of our head politician we want to make sure he's comfy right?
but because of the extensive changes the VH-71 team has recommended production of 23 new Increement 2 helicopters.
Oh good. 23 you say? And how many Presidents and Vice Presidents do we have again?
That good enough for you?
I doubt that the helicopters that the President uses are that old, and they certainly can't be in poor condition. Couldn't $2.4 billion have been spent more wisely? I'm sure that such an amount would have bought a whole lot more that 18 helicopters if they were buying Blackhawks or Apaches.
I suggest an aged Limberger to go with that whine of yours!
Is it bitching to question the logic behind spending $2.4 billion on this when there are no doubt areas that could use the funding more? The president has a fleet of helicopters. I would be willing to bet that those helicopters are a lot newer than the majority of helicopters being used to ferry our troops around in Iraq and Afganistan, and they certainly have fewer hours on them and are much better maintained. Why does he need replacements? How many front line helicopters could be buy with $2.4 billion? Seventy five? A hundred? Couldn't we make better use of all those than the dozen and a half?
We're gonna need lots more rockets.
It’s actually epoxy ploimide primer.
No argument against the waste just one liners. About what I’ve come to expect of ‘conservatives’
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