HELICOPTER MANUFACTURERS have been hurting lately, but at least one company is getting a very public boost. Later this year or in early 2021 the world will see the U.S. president flying off the White House lawn in a new helicopter: the VH-92A. If the profile of the helicopter looks familiar that's because the VH-92A is based on the Sikorsky S-92, a heavy lift model sold primarily to oil and gas companies to transport more than a dozen workers to oil rigs far offshore, and search and rescue operators. In its new role the S-92 variant will be able to transport the president, other dignitaries, and the press and support staff farther and safer than the VH-3Ds and VH-60NS currently in service. Replacement of the presidential helicopter, dubbed "Marine One" when the president is on board, has been a process fraught with cost overruns and bureaucratic missteps. The current models have been in service since the 1970s and 1980s, and soon after the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, the Department of Defense realized weight limitations meant those models couldn't be upgraded with current communications and other safety equipment. An initial contract between the U.S. Navy and Lockheed Martin, which proposed using an AgustaWestland AW101, was canceled and the Marines stepped in and awarded a new contract to Sikorsky for a version of its S-92.
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