Chopper-in-chief: The US President's all-new 'Marine One'

The US president’s new helicopter had its first flight — not in the USA but in England — earlier this month. The new VH-71, dubbed ‘Marine One’, is to be built on an AugustaWestland EH-101 platform, by an SPV formed between Britain’s Westland and America’s Bell Helicopter.

Before the TV2 prototype model is delivered to the test facility in Patuxent River, Maryland, later in 2007 for structural testing, the aircraft will complete its initial shake-down flying schedule and embark on flight trials to test the integrated avionics systems and aircraft systems.

The US Navy has selected the US101 for a new fleet of ‘Marine One’ helicopters for the president of the United States. An American variant of AgustaWestland's successful EH101 multimission medium helicopter; it beat Sikorsky's S-92 Superhawk, already in use for VIP transport in South Korea.

But by the time the first US101 is ready to transport the President in 2009, President George W Bush will no longer be in office, and it is Dubya’s successor who will get this brand new set of rotor blades. The entire fleet of 23 is to be delivered to the Marine One squadron by late 2014.

Time for a change
The original schedule called for first operations in 2014, but the whole loop was accelerated by four years after the 9/11 attacks. The chopper had some really unique requirements, including that the rotor wash and helicopter weight should not be too hard on the White House landscaping.

The new ‘Marine One’ helicopter is expected to be in service for up to four decades. It was officially designated VH-71A in July 2005.

Lockheed Martin, which leads Team US101 as the prime contractor, received a $1.7 billion contract from the Navy for the Marine One programme's systems development and demonstration phase. The acquisition program, expected to be valued at approximately $7 billion, is for 23 aircraft.

The mixed fleet of VH-3D Sea King and VH-60N Black Hawk helicopters that presently transport the president include aircraft designed in the 1960s and fielded in the 1970s. While still safe and reliable, they no longer have the capability to incorporate the equipment necessary to provide the president safety and security in the post 9/11 environment.

All the comforts of home
The VH-71 has an active control system that cancels out rotor and transmission vibration to create a smoother, airliner-like ride. Sound-absorbing material provides a quiet work environment. The new Marine One will have a six-foot-tall main cabin door, instead of the shorter opening on the EH101, because it makes for better TV; the taller door matches the height of the cabin, and so the President only has to tip his head to get into Marine One instead of having to duck down.

Four test aircraft and five pilot production VH-71 helicopters are to be delivered through 2009, as part of ‘Increment 1’, which will answer the urgent need for an air system with enhanced performance over existing helicopters. Increment 2 will see a significant increase in aircraft performance, and will feature technical enhancements designed to give the President full command and control capability while in flight.

Communicate with confidence
Increment 2 VH-71s will provide an elaborate, state-of-the-art, open architecture communications suite, providing secure access to the White House communications network. Other Increment 2 features will include head-up displays in the cockpit, a more robust tail rotor design, a higher power gearbox, slightly redesigned rotor blades for better flight characteristics, and higher performance engines.

More than 65 per cent of the VH-71 will come from over 200 suppliers in 41 US states, including spares and support. AgustaWestlandBell, a joint venture between AgustaWestland and Bell Helicopter, is the US principal subcontractor to Lockheed Martin, with responsibility for the basic air vehicle design, production build, and support functions. General Electric is supplying the engines. Other key suppliers include ITT, Northrop Grumman, Kaman Aerospace, and Palomar Products. Aircraft final assembly will be by Bell Helicopter in Amarillo, Texas, with mission equipment installation and final integration by Lockheed Martin Systems Integration in New York.