Advertisement

VH-71 Concept
(click to view full)

In June 2005, the U.S. Navy selected the US101 for a new fleet of “Marine One” helicopters for the President of the United States. The US101 is an American variant of AgustaWestland’s successful EH101 multimission medium helicopter; it beat out Sikorsky’s S-92 Superhawk, which is already in use as a VIP state transport in countries like South Korea. Lockheed Martin, which leads Team US101 as prime contractor, received a $1.7 billion contract from the Navy for the Marine One program’s systems development and demonstration phase.

Based on the contract schedule, the first US101 that was equipped to transport the President was expected to be available in 2009. The entire fleet of 28 US101s was scheduled for delivered to the Marine One squadron by late 2015.

This is DID’s FOCUS Article for the program. In 2008, the US Navy reached an agreement to proceed with the VH-71, despite a cost per aircraft equal to or greater than the President’s Air Force One 747s. In 2009, the program’s massive requirements changes and accompanying costs overruns led to its proposed cancellation, and a first round of layoffs from Lockheed Martin. Another round is on the way in the wake of a formal stop-work order and program cancellation, even as the Pentagon considers buying 2 different helicopters in the follow-on program. Recent additions include upgrades for the existing Presidential helicopter fleet, and veto recommendation threats from SecDef Gates…

• VH-71: The New Marine One Helicopter Program
• VH-3/ VH-60 Refurbishment: Contracts & Events [NEW]
• VH-71 Marine One: Contracts & Events [updated]
• Additional Readings

VH-71: The New Marine One Helicopter Program

VH-3D (top), VH-60N
(click to view full)

The current mixed fleet of VH-3D Sea King and VH-60N Black Hawk variant helicopters that support the president includes 30-year old aircraft that were designed in the 1960s, and fielded in the 1970s. While still safe and reliable due to low and careful use, they no longer had the growth capability to incorporate the equipment that the White House believed was required to in a post 9/11 environment.

After a long fight, Lockheed Martin’s offer of a modified AgustaWestland EH101 beat out Sikorsky’s smaller S-92, which already operates as a head-of-state helicopter in other countries. The V-22 tilt-rotor, which meets a number of the program’s challenging range requirements and offers speed advantages, was never seriously considered for presidential use; Bell Helicopter joined Lockheed’s US101 team.

While most European EH101s use a Rolls Royce/ Turbomeca RTM322 engine, The VH-71s will be powered by 3 of GE’s CT7-8E and CT7-8CE1 engines, derived from the T700 series that powers many US military helicopters. The CT7-8 delivers 2,520 shp at sea level. Another key modification for the new Marine One is a 6-foot-tall main cabin airstair door instead of the shorter opening on the EH101. Why? 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. The VH-71 will retain the EH101’s active control system, which cancels out rotor and transmission vibration to create an airliner-like ride. Sound-absorbing material is also installed throughout, to provide a better work environment.

The helicopter’s most important technologies, however, involve an array of EMP resistant communications systems. They are designed allow the President of the United States to work while in transit and exercise command while en route to longer-term crisis transportation like the “Air Force One” VC-25s/ 747s.

The original schedule for the Presidential Helicopter Replacement Program, known as VXX, called for an initial operating capability in 2014. That schedule was accelerated by 4 years after the 9/11 attacks. This competition had some unique requirements, including rotor wash and helicopter weight that had to avoid being too hard on the White House landscaping. The new “Marine One” helicopter, expected to be in service for up to 4 decades, was officially designated VH-71A in July 2005.

According to the Pentagon’s Selected Acquisition Reports, the VH-71 program was expected to produce 28 aircraft, at a total cost of $6.145 billion including R&D and production. That worked out to about $219.5 million per helicopter, a sum that could purchase a new civilian 747 jumbo jet. In March 2008, however, the Pentagon confirmed a new figure of $11.2 billion, or $400 million per helicopter. That cost is comparable to a new buy of the USAF’s VC-25 “Air Force One” 747s.

Their next SAR will be forced to report the VH-71 program as being in breach of American Nunn-McCurdy regulations, which require cost increases of over 25% to re-justify the program Congress. That could prove to be a difficult exercise, amidst the meltdown of the global financial system.

The core problem is a very common one in US Navy acquisition programs: a long stream of requirements changes mid-process, creating technical specifications that current technologies cannot meet, with production starting long before a final design is agreed upon. In this case, however, many of the changes were driven by previous White House staff.

In March 2008, Pentagon acquisition chief John Young acknowledged that no existing medium-lift helicopter can meet all of the requirements crammed into VH-71 Increment 2, adding the startling admission that “The Navy and industry team did not clearly realize the full implications of the White House requirements….” Now, the Navy and industry teams are will complete a “substantial” redesign of the EH-101 helicopter to meet those Increment 2 requirements. It is this redesign that is driving costs so high, as the helicopter is forced to carry tons of extra gear and up to 15 passengers, while flying farther than current VH-3 and VH60 helicopters.

VH-71 MSB simulator
(click to view larger)

In the Increment 1 phase, 4 test aircraft and 5 pilot production VH-71 aircraft are to be delivered through 2009. Increment 1 will answer the urgent need for an air system with enhanced performance over existing VH 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. The Increment 2 VH-71s will provide an elaborate, state-of-the-art, open architecture communications suite. The communications system operator, the 4th onboard aircrew member, operates the equipment that provides 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% percent of the VH-71 program content will come from more than 200 suppliers in 41 U.S. states – if spares and long-term support are included in the calculations. Team US101 is led by Lockheed Martin as system integrator. AgustaWestlandBell, a joint venture between AgustaWestland and Bell Helicopter Textron, is the U.S. principal subcontractor to Lockheed Martin. They have responsibility for the basic air vehicle design, production build, and basic air vehicle support functions. As noted above, 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, TX, with mission equipment installation and final integration by Lockheed Martin Systems Integration in NY.

First flight of the VH-71 took place in Yeovil, England on July 3/07. As of January 2009, 2 pilot production helicopters and 4 operational test platforms had been delivered, including TV-3, the first VH-71 with all Increment 1 mission systems installed. Later that year, however, the program was canceled. The fate of the 5 VH-71s built to date remains in limbo, with the President and Pentagon believing that they would not be useful, long-lived, and cost-effective enough to join the fleet, while some in Congress believe the 5 should be fitted out and pressed into service.

Meanwhile, the Pentagon is moving ahead with a program to refurbish the existing
VH-3/VH-60 helicopter fleet.

VH-3/ VH-60 Refurbishment: Contracts & Events

VH-3D
(click to view full)

This section covers efforts underway to improve existing VH-3D/ VH-60N helicopters, or extend their lifespans. US Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) in Patuxent River, MD manages these contracts; exceptions are noted in the text below.

Note that other contract exist for something called “Special Progressive Aircraft Rework.” These are not upgrades, just an enhanced version of the helicopters’ Standard Depot Level Maintenance that occurs after a set number of flight hours or months, whichever comes first. It includes partial disassembly of the airframe, replacement of components, refurbishment of interior furnishings, and repainting the aircraft. Those contracts will not be reported here.

Oct 6/09: Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. in Stratford, CT received a $13.4 million ceiling-priced, undefinitized contract for one-time engineering efforts during qualification of the VH-3D executive transport’s new composite main rotor blades, under the lift improvement program. The effort will include engineering, test, evaluation, support equipment, logistics and program management required to support the VH-3D’s new operational capability.

Work will be performed in Stratford, CT and is expected to be complete in February 2011. Contract funds in the amount of $10.8 million will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured pursuant to FAR 6.302-1 (N00019-09-C-0060).

Feb 26/09: As political leaders debate the VH-71 program’s future, Flight International reports that Sikorsky and their partner Carson Helicopters have been working on upgrades to the commercial S-61, which could be used to offer a low-cost upgrade to the President’s VH-3Ds.

A five-blade upgrade would add new composite main rotor blades, while strengthening the helicopter’s tail pylon and transmission mounts. This costs just $1.25 million per aircraft, while boosting lift capacity by 2,000 pounds (910 kg), increasing speed by 15 knots at regular power, stretching range by 15%, and doubling service life to 20,000 hours.

Other potential upgrades include Carson’s composite tail rotor that drops required power to the tail, while raising payload by another 400 pounds (180 kg); a new “glass” (digital screens) cockpit featuring Sagem displays; and a possible CT-58 engine upgrade from GE that would boost total power by 370 shp, to 1,870 shp.

Dec 11/07: Reuters reports an announcement by the USMC that it planned to upgrade the existing fleet of US presidential helicopters, given expected delays in the VH-71 program that could stretch up to 5 years for initial fielding. The VH-3D Sea Kings would receive upgrades designed to improve their mission availability, while the VH-60N Back Hawks would get new rotor blades designed to improve their carrying capacity for new communications equipment.

U.S. Navy spokesman Lt. Cmdr. John Schofield said they expected the restructuring/rescheduling process to be complete “this winter,” adding that the VH-71 program had been on “a high-risk and fast-paced schedule from the day of contract award…. principally because of the need to deliver a sophisticated helicopter system three years ahead of a normal acquisition schedule.”

Oct 23/07: Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. in Stratford, CT receives a $7.8 million cost-plus-fixed-fee delivery order against a previously issued basic ordering agreement (N00019-03-G-0003) for the flight test, instrumentation, and analysis of improvements in support of the VH-3D Presidential Helicopter Life Improvement Program. Work will be performed in Stratford, CT (50 ) and West Palm Beach, FL (50), and is expected to be complete in March 2009.

Nov 21/06: SikorskySikorsky Aircraft Corp. in Stratford, CT received an $8,431,537 cost-plus-fixed-fee delivery order against a previously issued basic ordering agreement (N00019-03-G-0003) for non-recurring engineering required to modify and instrument a VH-3A aircraft in support of the VH-3D Lift Improvement Program. Work will be performed in Stratford, Conn., and is expected to be completed in November 2007. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md. is the contracting activity.

VH-71 Marine One: Contracts & Events

VH-71 concept
(click to view full)

US Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) in Patuxent River, MD manages these contracts; exceptions are noted in the text below.

Oct 14/09: US Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates sends a letter to Congress [PDF], in advance of House/Senate efforts to reconcile their defense bills into a single agreed budget. It includes the following excerpt:

“The conference bill should not provide funding for weapons that are not working or are no longer needed. To that end, the Department strongly objects to the House’s addition of $400 million to make operational five partially-completed VH-71 helicopters and appreciates that the Senate did not add funds [for the VH-71] to the President’s [budget] request. These helicopters currently have no mission equipment and would require in excess of $2 billion to complete anf operate as Presidential helicopter. Even with these funds, they would not meet full operational requirements for the mission. The Department [of Defense] and the White House are conducting a requirements analysis, and the outcome of this effort should not be pre-empted. If the final bill were to include funds that continue the existing VH-71 program, or would pre-judge the plans to re-compete the Presidental helicopter program, I would recommend that the President veto the bill.”

June 2/09: It’s official: Arrivederci, VH-71. A Pentagon press release states that:

“The Navy today announced that it will terminate the VH-71 System Development and Demonstration (SDD) program contract. The announcement follows a Department of Defense (DoD) decision to cancel the existing presidential helicopter replacement program…. Navy contract N00019-05-C-0030 and associated work with Lockheed Martin Systems Integration – Owego (LMSI-O), Owego, N.Y., awarded Jan. 28, 2005, for the SDD of the VH-71 program, has been terminated for the convenience of the government. The under secretary of defense for acquisition, technology and logistics issued a VH-71 program acquisition decision memorandum on May 15, 2009, which directed the program be cancelled, to include both Increment 1 and Increment 2.”

May 21/09: One of the big problems with the new helicopters was the need to pack all of that communications gear, into a helicopter that can fly nearly 300km without refueling to an emergency airbase at Andrews AFB or Camp David, while remaining small enough to avoid damaging the White House lawn.

According to Government Executive magazine, the Pentagon is now considering a request for 2 different helicopter types: one for routine shuttle trips, and a more capable escape aircraft designed for use in emergencies. This would allow a much lower-budget fleet of standard helicopters for everyday use, and a much smaller fleet built on a larger design that didn’t have to cvare about the White House lawn.

May 15/09: The VH-71 program receives a stop work order from the Pentagon. Another 225 layoffs are expected at Lockheed Martin’s Owego, NY facility before the end of the month.

The 5 production and 4 test aircraft would still be the property of the US Navy, but many have not had their advanced systems integrated yet. It will be up to the US Navy to decide what to do with the helicopters.

The US Navy said that the $85 million 2010 budget request includes money to cover termination costs, government efforts to develop options for a replacement program, and service life extensions for the current presidential helicopter fleet. Some estimates place termination costs as high as $500 million, but that figure remains to be negotiated between Lockheed Martin and the federal government. Elmira Star Gazette | Ithaca Journal | NY Times op-ed | Wall Street Journal on local impacts | WICZ Fox 40 news | bNet | The Hill magazine | Wall Street Journal on cancellation.

April 28/09: The 9th and final (4 test + 5 pilot production) VH-71 to be built under “Increment 1” of the US Presidential Helicopter Replacement Program leaves AgustaWestland’s Yeovil, UK facility. It will be sent to the United States for completion by prime contractor Lockheed Martin. AgustaWestland release.

April 28/09: In a Reuters interview, AgustaWestland CEO Giuseppe Orsi takes issue with the Pentagon’s characterization of the VH-71 Increment 1 helicopters’ expected lifespan. Orsi says that even with the additional armor and modifications, the new VH-71 helicopters are certifiable for a minimum 10,000 flight hours of operation, or about 30 years service in the Presidential fleet. The firm has agreed to tests with the US Navy to verify that performance.

Those tests may be important, because Orsi also backed a compromise plan being floated in Congress. It would revert to the original budget of $6.8 billion, in exchange for sticking to the VH-71 Increment 1 specifications.

Note the March 17/08 entry, below, which explains that a number of original requirements were deferred from Increment 1 to improve affordability.
Since the Increment 2 specifications are not realistic or cost-effective, the question going forward must be which specifications can be cut, even if the competition is re-started. The question is whether the Increment 1 helicopters can serve for the required length of time, and are close enough to the reduced requirements, to justify continuation of the program. The alternative involves termination costs that could run to $200 million, in exchange for a renewed competition and a helicopter that offers a more exact match for the new requirements. Reuters | New York Times.

April 27/09: Lockheed Martin Corp. announces an initial round of 225 job cuts at its Owego, NY plant, with further layoffs expected. About 800 of the plant’s 4,000 workers are dedicated to the VH-71 program, and others have been working on an EH101 derivative for the USAF’s CSAR-X search and rescue competition. AP, via Forbes.

April 6/09: In an unusual move, American Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates announces his FY 2010 budget recommendations to the President. He recommends full cancellation of the VH-71 program, on the grounds that the Increment 2 helicopters will cost more than an Air Force One 747, and “Increment One helicopters do not meet requirements and are estimated to have only a five- to 10-year useful life.”

New options for the future Presidential helicopter are to be developed for a replacement program that’s expected to begin in FY 2011.

March 5/09: Bloomberg reports that the latest estimate and 15-page report, prepared for congressional defense committees, revises the VH-71’s program cost from $11.2 billion to $13 billion – 113% above the original baseline of $6.1 billion. Based on 28 helicopters built, the allocated R&D and purchase cost would be $464.3 million per helicopter.

The report adds that instead of having the first 5 helicopters ready no earlier than September 2010, there would be a delay of 18 months (April 2012), and that the upgraded version with more sophisticated communications and the most advanced defenses would slip from December 2017 – December 2019.

The US Navy would not confirm these changes or comment, because Secretary of Defense Robert Gates has yet to provide a formal certification of cost and justification for the program to Congress, per the Nunn-McCurdy legislation’s review process. Bloomberg News | Congressional Quarterly | Washington Post | Ithaca Journal | Britain’s The Independent discusses the effect in Britain.

Feb 27/09: P2P Intelligence firm Tiversa claims that in Oct/Nov 2008, it traced a file that contains details regarding the VH-60N Presidential Helicopter’s CAAS avionics architecture, and some program financial data, on public-access peer-to-peer (P2P) file-sharing networks. On Feb 25/09, the file was found on the IP address of an Iranian computer.

The CAAS avionics architecture is slated for use in the VH-71 as well. Read “P2P Network Leaks: The VH-60N Helicopter” for full treatment of this breach, its implications, and the underlying trend at work.

Feb 23/09: Arrivederci? Disparaging comments at the White House fiscal summit by President Obama, and by his Republican Party opponent Sen. John McCain, cast doubt on the VH-71 program’s future. From The Australian’s report :

“Yesterday Mr Obama, as if playing both speaker and leader in the Westminster style, first called on Senator McCain in this version of question time.

He said it was an example of the “procurement process gone amok. And we’re going to have to fix it”.

Those comments by both men were widely reported, and triggered a drop in Finmeccanica’s share price. AgustaWestland USA chief executive Stephen C Moss stated his belief that the program will go forward, with changes, and pointed out that in 63 cases of Nunn-McCurdy cost overruns, only 2 program have been canceled. Changes have been proposed to the VH-71, including reducing the number of helicopters, and removing some of the troublesome requirements. Other proposed changes include putting the program up for rebid, building new VH-3s with updated communications, or simply canceling the program without replacement.

In the current economic environment, more extreme solutions become more likely. Given that the existing VH-3/ VH-60 fleet is not suffering from flying hour fatigue, these comments from Obama and McCain will make the required Nunn-McCurdy justifications to Congress very problematic. See also: Washington Post | CNN Money with Moss statement | MSNBC re: Connecticut delegation’s rebid push | The Hill | AP | Helciopter Association International | Flight International | WIRED Danger Room.

Jan 29/09: The US Navy announces that the VH-71 program is more than 50% over budget, triggering “Nunn-McCurdy” legislative provisions and stopping work on development of the VH-71’s Increment 2 design.

Under those provisions, the Defense Department either must end the program, or certify that it is essential for national security, that the new unit costs are reasonable, that management structure can control future growth, and that no substitutes exist that provide equal or greater military capability at less cost. Reuters, via Forbes.

Nov 26/08: Another $500 million in System Development and Demonstration (SDD) funds to Lockheed Martin Systems Integration in Owego, NY. Work on this modification to the existing cost-plus-award-fee contract (N00019-05-C-0030) will be performed in Patuxent River, MD (28%); Owego, NY (26%); Yeovil, UK (20%); Cascina Costa, Italy (15%); Rolling Meadows, IL (3%); Lynn, MA (3%); Clifton, NJ (2%); Denton, TX (1%); Grand Rapids, MI (1%); and Rancho Santa Margarita, CA (1%), and is expected to be complete in December 2014.

Oct 9/08: Lockheed Martin Systems Integration in Owego, NY receives a $173 million modification, raising the January 2005 cost plus award fee contract (N00019-05-C-0030) for the System Development and Demonstration (SDD) of the VH-71 Presidential Helicopter.

Work will be performed in Patuxent River, MD (28%); Owego, NY (26%); Yeovil, United Kingdom (20%); Cascina Costa, Italy (15%); Rolling Meadows, IL (3%); Lynn, MA (3%); Clifton, NJ (2%); Denton, TX (1%); Grand Rapids, MI (1%); and Rancho Santa Margarita, CA (1%), and is expected to be complete in September 2011.

VH-71 Demonstrator
(click to view full)

Sept 22/08: The first operational pilot production helicopter (PP-1) completes its maiden flight at AgustaWestland’s facility in Yeovil, England. Lockheed Martin release.

March 14/08: The Pentagon reaches an agreement with the White House re: the VH-71 program, and confirms that the cost of the 28 helicopter program has jumped to $11.2 billion – from $6.1 billion when the contract was signed in 2005. Increment 1 rose from $2.3 billion to $3.7 billion, and Increment 2 jumped from $4.5 billion to $7.5 billion. The price of the Increment 2 helicopters would be over $325 million each – comparable to the current Air Force One 747 fleet, even when adjusted for inflation since 1990.

The original VH-71 program planned to rely on an existing commercial helicopter and make modest modifications, but Pentagon acquisition chief John Young has now acknowledged that no existing medium-lift helicopter can meet all of the requirements crammed into VH-71 Increment 2:

“The Navy and industry team did not clearly realize the full implications of the White House requirements…. These issues were further complicated by the enforcement of Navy certification requirements on a helicopter designed to commercial aviation standards.”

That’s a rather startling admission. Now, the Navy and industry teams are will complete a “substantial” redesign of the EH-101 base helicopter to meet Increment 2 requirements. The Day Paper, CT | Aviation Week | Defense News

Feb 27/08: Test Vehicle 3 makes its initial flight in Yeovil, England marking the 4th program helicopter to enter flight test. TV-3 will be the first vehicle tested that is outfitted with mission systems, which means it will be able to validate in-flight performance data for the helicopter’s equipment, instead of relying on lab tests.

TV-3 is due to arrive at the Presidential Helicopter Support Facility here on March 17/08 and will then travel to Lockheed Martin Systems Integration in Owego, NY for final assembly and mission systems integration. TV-3 will join TV-1, TV-2 and TV-5, which have accumulated more than 650 total hours of flight test so far. One additional test vehicle is scheduled for flight testing and missionization after TV-3, before the initial lot of production aircraft are delivered to Patuxent River. NAVAIR release | Flight International.

Jan 19/07: Defense Technology International reports that After considering alternatives to the Lockheed Martin VH-71 presidential helicopter – including upgrading the Sikorsky H-3s – the Navy has reportedly decided to stick with the US101 aircraft and fund an additional $1 billion in modifications in “Increment 2,” on top of the program’s initial $6.1 billion price tag, on the grounds that other alternatives wouldn’t be any better.

DTI reports that White House and Navy requirements are essentially turning the helicopter into another “Air Force One” (Presidential 747), which involves hundreds of specifications not included at the program’s outset. In addition to extra electronics, the changing specifications will include structural modifications to the US101 helicopter, in order to extend its range beyond what the current airframes can deliver.

Adding hundreds of new performance requirements in mid-stride does make successful program delivery very difficult – and being on that ride has cost Lockheed Martin before, during evaluations of another modified US101 for the $10-15 billion CSAR-X combat search and rescue helicopter.

Jan 10/08: The first 2 VH-71 Increment 1 helicopters (TV-2 and TV-5) have entered the flight test phase with the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, MD. They are the first of 4 Increment 1 test aircraft; TV-3 and TV-4, will undergo additional assembly and missionization at Lockheed Martin Systems Integration in Owego, NY, before being transferred to NAS Patuxent River in 2008 for testing. NAVAIR release.

Jan 3/08: Inside Defense reports that the VH-71 program may face significant cuts:

“The fate of the VH-71 presidential helicopter program is hanging in the balance as senior defense officials privately weigh the elimination of the bulk of the program, according to sources tracking the issue inside and outside the Pentagon….”

Dec 13/07: Gannett’s Marine Corps Times reports that cost increases and schedule problems, “driven in part by nearly 2,000 requirement changes,” (vid. April 2007 entry) forced a meeting with the White House Military Office to discuss the program’s fate. Rumors of cancellation began shortly after that, though the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Aviation Programs later said that there “has been no decision to terminate the program… We’re continuing to look at all the options. We’ve looked at almost every conceivable option….”

Nov 14/07: Lockheed Martin announces that its VH-71 Systems Integration Lab (SIL) is now operational at the Navy’s Presidential Helicopter Support Facility at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, MD, in preparation for the arrival of the first aircraft built for the VH-71 program. The new SIL at Patuxent River will allow engineers to test VH-71 avionics and mission systems prior to installation aboard the aircraft – for instance, ensuring that the President can communicate with several government agencies simultaneously. It consists of test benches to evaluate individual subsystems currently in development. The SIL at Lockheed Martin Systems Integration in Owego, NY, which became operational in August 2007, includes a master systems bench full-scale functional mockup of the VH-71 cockpit and cabin that allows the Navy-Lockheed team to run mission scenarios of the final integrated systems.

Test Vehicle 2 (TV-2) is scheduled to arrive at Patuxent River in mid-November 2007 to commence a comprehensive testing program. Another 3 test vehicles are scheduled for delivery to the U.S. this winter, followed by 5 production aircraft during 2008. Capt. Don Gaddis, the U.S. Navys Presidential Helicopters program manager, said that:

“A Systems Integration Lab at the Presidential Helicopter Support Facility will enable the Marine Corps to test the integrated systems more quickly during the flight test phase…. Having this on-site test capability is critical to meeting our requirements.”

VH-71 1st flight
(click to view full)

July 3/07: The VH-71 helicopter makes its maiden flight at AgustaWestland’s facility in Yeovil, UK. Before that TV2 model is delivered to the test facility in Patuxent River, MD in fall 2007 for structural testing, the aircraft will complete initial shake-down flying and embark on flight trials to test the integrated avionics systems and aircraft systems. Lockheed Martin release | GE release.

April 2007: A systems requirements review reveals that nearly 2,000 design changes will be needed to meet Pentagon requirements for the VH-71 Increment 2 model – the first model intended to offer the President full command and control capability while in flight. The changes reportedly included a new tail, transmission and rotor blades. Source.

Oct 24/06: GE Aviation officially opens its new Presidential Helicopter engine facility at the Lynn, Massachusetts, plant. The dedicated area in Lynn Product Development & Delivery will house the assembly and shipment operations of CT7-8E and CT7-8CE1 engines for the next-generation “Marine One” helicopter that will be used by the President of the United States.

Lockheed Martin Systems Integration in Owego, NY awarded GE a $65-million contract to provide CT7-8E and CT7-8CE1 engines for use during the system development & demonstration (SDD) phase of the Presidential Helicopter Replacement program. GE Aviation release.

June 12/06: Lockheed Martin formally opens the VH-71 Presidential Helicopter Integration Facility. The new 176,000-square-foot facility features aircraft integration hangars, program management and engineering office space, systems integration laboratories, aircraft parts storage, and maintenance and helicopter paint facilities. The complex also includes a new helicopter flight operations area. Lockheed Martin release.

US101 Demonstrator
(click to view full)

July 7/05: The next generation US presidential helicopter sheds its generic “VXX” placeholder and contractor’s “US101” moniker and received its mission design series designator of “VH-71A.” A popular name for the VH-71A is still under consideration. NAVAIR release.

Jan 28/05: U.S. Navy NAVAIR selects the US101 as the new “Marine One” helicopter for the President of the United States, issuing a $1.7 billion System Design & Development (SDD) contract. Team US101 release | Lockheed Martin release.

April 2005: Senator Christopher Dodd [D-CT] inserts an amendment to a State Department authorization bill that would have, prohibited any European companies in countries that do business with terrorist-sponsoring states from producing components of the US101 helicopter. Connecticut is also the home of Sikorsky aircraft, which manufactures the competing H-92 Superhawk helicopter, and the amendment was crafted to target AugustaWestland. Because of Sen. Chuck Schumer’s [D-NY] objections to the amendment, however, that bill died.

Dec 1/03: The US101 Team competing to provide the president of the United States with a new Marine One helicopter fleet selects GE Aircraft Engines (GEAE) to supply American-made CT7-8E engines for the US101 Presidential helicopter. At more than 2,500 shaft horsepower, the CT7-8E is one of the newest and most powerful derivative of GEAE’s successful T700/CT7 family of helicopter engines. Lockheed Martin release.

Additional Readings

• Team US101 Official Site

• Lockheed Martin – US101

• Wikipedia – VH-71 Kestrel

• GE – CT7-8E and CT7-8CE1. This engine also equips the S-92 Superhawk, and Spanish NH90 helicopters. GE CT7-6 variants power Italian EH101s.

• Defense News (Feb 7/05) – Lessons of US101 [PDF format]

• Lockheed Martin Code One Magazine (Q4 2004) – Landing on the Lawn

• GlobalSecurity.org – VH-60 Marine-1

• US Navy, via GlobalSecurity (November 2001, N88-NTSP-A-50-0008/A) – Navy Training System Plan for the VH-60N [PDF]

• GlobalSecurity.org – VH-3D Marine-1

• Sikorsky – S-92 Superhawk

• IEEE Internet Computing (6(1), February 2002), via – Mapping the Gnutella Network: Properties of Large-Scale Peer-to-Peer Systems and Implications for System Design [PDF]. Explains the system behind the VH-60N avionics leak.