President Joe Biden may have made his political swan song last night at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, but he arrived in the coolest way possible—making the first presidential flight aboard a new generation of Marine One helicopters.
The backstory behind the Sikorsky VH-92A, which Biden used yesterday to fly from O’Hare airport to Soldier Field, is a saga that started in 2003 when the Department of Defense decided to update the aging presidential fleet. Its VH-3Ds entered service in 1974, and the VH-60Ns joined the fleet just 14 years later. In the wake of 9/11, the Bush administration wanted a larger, faster and longer-range rotorcraft with state-of-the-art communications.
But there were a series of delays, and another helicopter type was chosen for Marine One duties (the designator whenever the president is on board) until that project proved too costly. Sikorsky, which had provided fleets of presidential helicopters since 1957, was tapped to convert its civilian S-92 into the more sophisticated VH-92A. In 2014, the helicopter manufacturer and DoD signed a contract for 23 of the converted aircraft for $4.7 billion. Weighing 27,700 pounds, the VH-92A has two General Electric CT7-8A6 turboshaft engines, an enhanced communications system, space for two pilots, a communications person, and 14 passengers.
After years of delays, Biden was the first president to fly in the next-gen helicopter.
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The U.S. government last week accepted the final Sikorsky VH-92A at a handover ceremony after the manufacturer began delivering the fleet in 2021. “This milestone is a credit to our valued and long-lasting partnership with the Marine Corps as we provide a highly-tailored solution for the Marine Corps’ unique, critical mission,” said Richard Benton, Sikorsky vice president and general manager, at the event.
But there had been issues that kept the Commander in Chief off the new helicopter. A 2018 report by the Government Accountability Office noted that it scorched landing sites on the White House lawn, and issues with its communication system. The Patriot program said it would attempt to rectify those issues. The complaints showed up again in a 2022 report, though the VH-92A was cleared for “all missions” a year later. Up until this was week, however, the new fleet was only used to shuttle secret service and low-level government officials. The president, vice president, and cabinet-level officials were not allowed to travel on the VH-92A.
The handover ceremony earlier this month of the last VH-92A in a 23-helicopter fleet.
Lockheed Martin
It’s not clear what changed and why. An emailed statement from NAVAIR, the U.S. Navy Department overseeing the the VH-92A program, said multiple government agencies were working toward a “successful transition” from the VH-3D and VH-60N aircraft to the new VH-92As. “This is an event-driven goal, not a time-driven one,” the agency told Robb Report yesterday, apparently unaware that the new Marine One would make its debut presidential flight in Chicago.
A timeline for the complete transition from the old-generation helicopters to the new Sikorsky fleet remains unclear. But at least Biden had a chance to fly in the new Marine One, with five more months of presidential trips ahead.