44 Vol. 9 / No. 12/ December/January 2017/18 Global Aviator
US presidential transport
VXX, officially the Presidential
Helicopter Replacement
Programme, is a procurement
programme to replace ageing
Marine One helicopters that
transport the President of the
United States. The current
VH-3 helicopters have ageing
airframes, having entered
service with US Marine Corps
Marine Helicopter Squadron
One (HMX-1) in 1963.By 1976 the VH-3D had replaced the
VH-3A with the smaller VH-60N ordered
at the beginning of 1989. On 7 May
2014, it was announced that the Sikorsky
S-92 had won the VXX competition.History
In 2002, it was proposed to replace the
current helicopters. The US Department
of Defence issued a request for proposals
on 18 December, 2003 for the supply
of 23 helicopters to replace the eleven
VH-3Ds and eight VH-60Ns of USMC
HMX-1 squadron. This requirement
was given the designation VXX (V
being the prefix for VIP aircraft and
XX representing the unspecified
numerical part of the designation).
Both AgustaWestland and Sikorsky
responded to the request with Sikorsky
proposing the VH-92, a variant of
the H-92 Superhawk. On 28 January,
2005 the Department of Defence
announced that it had selected the
US101 for the US$1.7 billion contract
for the VXX system development and
demonstration phase. The Lockheed
Martin and AgustaWestland AW101-
based US101 bid was given the military
designation VH-71 Kestrel in mid-2005.The replacement cost of the fleet
was estimated at $6.1 billion when the
VH-71 contracts were signed in 2005.
However, by March 2008 the cost of the
new 28 helicopter fleet was projected
to total US$11.2 billion, or roughly
US$400 million per helicopter. This
brought about political controversy
February 2009 amid calls for fiscal in
restraint and, as a result, President
Barack Obama announced that he had
instructed Defence Secretary Robert
Gates to review the helicopter situation
and on 6 April 2009, Gates announced
the ending of VH-71 funding. Nine
aircraft had already been built at a
cost of about US$600 million each.
There the programme rested
until 23 November, 2012, when Naval
Air Systems Command released
a draft request for proposals for a
new VXX programme. The new
requirements lowered the number
of people the helicopter had to carry,
shortened its range, and simplified its
communications. By mid-2013, Boeing,
Bell Helicopter and AgustaWestlanddeclined to take part in the project.
Only Sikorsky (with parent company
Lockheed Martin) seemed likely to
bid on the VXX contract and they
were awarded the Engineering and
Manufacturing Development contract
with production options on 7 May,- Six aircraft: two test aircraft
and four production aircraft, will
be built as part of this contract.
The first flight of a VH-92A
configured test aircraft took place on 28
July signalling the start of the 250 hour
flight test programme, which will take
place at Lockheed Martin facilities in
Owego, New York. A second flight at
Sikorsky Aircraft took place the same
day with the two sorties lasting an hour
and included hover control checks, low
speed flight, and a pass of the airfield.
The VH-92A aircraft is based on
Sikorsky’s successful and FAA-certified
S-92A commercial aircraft, which
recently surpassed one million flight
hours. It will enter into service in 2020
to be used to transport the president
and vice president of the United States
and other officials. Sikorsky has flown
every US commander-in-chief since
President Dwight D. Eisenhower. The
new helicopter fleet will replace the
service’s current fleet of eight VH-
60N and 11 VH-3D rotorcraft, and is
expected to enter service with four
operational aircraft and crews along
with parts and support in 2020. A further
17 helicopters will be purchased. •
Presidential helicopter replacement programme
Sikorsky Aircraft proposed its S-92 medium-lift
helicopter for the U.S. Navy's VXX Presidential
Helicopter Replacement Program.The VH-92 is based on the Sikorsky S-92 A