WASHINGTON — The brand new presidential helicopter has been demoted to backup obligation as a result of Lockheed Martin Corp. nonetheless can’t work out find out how to maintain it from scorching the White Home’s South Garden.
The VH-92 Patriot is touchdown solely on paved runways for now, flying missions with White Home officers or Secret Service employees as an alternative of carrying President Joe Biden. The issue is right down to a difficulty first recognized in 2018 — the helicopter’s spinning rotors and engine exhaust typically scorch the grass the place it lands.
With its emblematic “white high” paint job, Marine One — its designation when the president is on board — is as a lot an emblem of the U.S. presidency as Air Drive One. Crowds of reporters and White Home visitors typically collect to look at the president depart from its conventional takeoff spot on the South Garden.
In the meanwhile, the helicopter doing that job will stay the VH-3D Sea King, which just like the VH-92 is is constructed by Lockheed’s Sikorsky unit.
Lockheed has up to now delivered 20 VH-92 helicopters to the Marine Corps beneath the $5 billion program, Lockheed spokeswoman Melissa Chadwick mentioned. She mentioned the corporate believes it’s discovered a repair and can begin testing quickly.
“Now we have been working in shut collaboration with our buyer and have an agreed upon touchdown zone answer with testing deliberate to validate and make sure the plane meets that particular operational requirement,” Chadwick mentioned.
In response to a White Home official, who requested to not be recognized discussing non-public conversations, engineering and design work is underway to see if fixes will be made to stop grass injury beneath sizzling environmental circumstances when rotors are turning.
The present fleet of presidential helicopters entered obligation in 1975, a 12 months after Richard Nixon resigned, walked throughout the South Garden and waved the victory signal from the steps of Marine One in one of many the defining pictures of his presidency.
Earlier plans for a alternative from Lockheed had been canceled in 2009 after that program was stricken by hovering prices and delays.
The helicopter is working beneath a White Home Army Workplace-approved “phased transition plan” throughout which “all respective places of work are working diligently to make sure a easy, protected, and well timed transition from the normal fleet to the VH-92A,” the White Home mentioned in an announcement.
The White Home declined to say when the helicopter will likely be prepared to hold Biden.
“Tasking for presidential assist is on the discretion of the White Home Army Workplace and upon profitable completion of the continuing commissioning program,” it mentioned. The transition to the brand new presidential helicopter “is an event-driven purpose, not a time-driven one.”
The Pentagon’s annual take a look at report launched in January for the primary time deemed the helicopter “operationally efficient for all operations” after enhancements had been made to handle one other drawback — this one with voice communication. That report was silent on the difficulty of grass scorching.
Nikolas Guertin, the Navy’s assistant secretary for acquisition, instructed a congressional subcommittee final week the service is asking for about $120 million to enhance points together with “mission techniques, maintainability, reliability” and obsolescent elements.
“These efforts embrace Mission Communications System {hardware} and software program upgrades, distributed community communications, cockpit upgrades, extended-range, cabin noise discount, plane efficiency enhancements, and improved rotor blades,” Guertin mentioned in a ready assertion. It additionally didn’t point out considerations round scorching the South Garden.
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