Obama Faces Tough Decision On Pricey Presidential Helicopters

WASHINGTON - President Obama has slammed high-flying executives traveling in cushy jets at a time of economic turmoil. But soon he will have to decide whether to proceed with some of the priciest aircraft in the world - a new fleet of 28 Marine One helicopters that will each cost more than the last Air Force One.

A six-year-old project to build state-of-the-art presidential helicopters has bogged down in a contracting quagmire that will challenge Mr. Obama's desire to rein in military contracting expenses. The price tag has nearly doubled, production has fallen years behind schedule and much of the program has been frozen until the new administration figures out what to do about it.

Read the whole story here.

Comments

[jolebo]

And yet another Bush FU!

[CharlesJ]

From the way this whole deal sounds, and having kept an eye on it for years, this 28 helicopter project has too much corruption in it, too many pay offs, too much wastefull spending. One helicopter costing more than the latest and newest presidential aircraft? You know just from that simple fact that there are some very questionable expenses. I wonder how much they are charging for linnear feet of wiring? I have heard that price is 4 times the normal.
I also believe that a line by line cost accounting needs to be put on line for everyone to see. Its like those Air Force toilet seats that cost 5 k a few years ago, something really stinks here. The tax payers are being ripped off and several contractors as well as lobbiest and politicians have their grubby kick back hands in this project. Does anyone else smell a rat in this project?

[surfcitysteven]

The trolls are out in force on this one, each an aviation cost analysis expert. And armed with a years worth of Jane's magazine, they will claim to know the costs of all the defense mechanisms employed on these birds to keep our guy safe. A bunch of real frugal shoppers now, these hypcrites.

[poco767c]

SO a contractor drags it's heels and runs up the cost, on the other hand those are American jobs. I don't envy Obama with this choice.

[Osusuki]

A lot of those jobs are European, and in fact there is suspicion that the Bushies gave the contract to Lockheed-Martin (bypassing Sikorsky-an American company) as a sop to Tony Blair. Read the article.

[dagdavid]

Unnecessary pork left over from the Bush administration. There is nothing wrong with the current helicopters and it would send a real message if Obama were to scrap the new ones.

[theone718]

28? My goodness, I mean does he need 28?

[CharlesJ]

News flash these aircraft are not all for the president. They also in case of emergency will carry key staff and select members of the house and congress plus the presidential family. In a pinch each aircraft can carry in excess of 10, so in a global war pinch you would need to carry as many away as possible from a sure target to a harden site. Plus you have your back up helecopters.

[Big0725]

News flash. Key staff can be carried on a Blackhawk just as easily as a specialized Presidential helicopter.

[Youngvet09]

Our President deserves the best and I for one, am willing to pay for it.

[Big0725]

Yea, but 28? Even I think that's excessive.

[kavehdabashi]

making this an issue is the height of irresponsibility. the president, especially this one, needs the best security money can buy. this is the true purpose of taxes. this isn't some frivolous extravagance. the president needs tight and updated security.

the NY Times is on thin ice with this one.

[pepperdude]

What do you mean especially this one? There are some presidents who should have the best security? Is that your implication? Or do you believe all american prez should have first class security?

[kavehdabashi]

what i meant was that the number of security threats posed towards obama are already a concern. i don't think he deserves more protection than other presidents. i think he needs it.

[Big0725]

The implication is that this president brings up quite a bit of animosity in the lunatic fringe and the security may need to be extra tight.

[WyomingJack]

28 of them? What was Bush thinking when he ordered 28 of them?

[Big0725]

One for each IQ point?

[terragazelle60]

you are over misestimating...

[Bearangaria]

Obama does not need to weigh the cost of his copter.
The President of United States gets the top of the line.
Bush and Clinton certainly did.
Meanwhile...how are all those ceo jets zipping
around criminal ceos sellin?

[JZ735]

No he doesn't...not now when the country is in austerity mode, or should be (stimulus package notwithsta­nding)...h­e can use two or three copters, the rest get tossed...no time for this nonsense now.

[mukTech]

Oh yes He does need all the security the country can afford. But I am not sure about 28 Helicopters!! Ten maybe.

[Lochmon]

28 does seem a bit much. Nevertheless, it's the first one that costs a real fortune, the rest are just using the same expensive R&D.

[lpeggy]

We want him to have the best and safest out there. Period.

[JZ735]

Two are all he gets...Period.

[Big0725]

No. He needs between seven and ten. There's a shell game played every time Marine One is in flight. There are three identical helicopters that fly in formation when ever he's on board. So three alert aircraft are needed at all times. You will need a spare for each one of those, so that's gonna be six. Then various scenarios can be thought up to justify one or two more. I mean heck, even Air Force One has a back-up.

[vesaversa1]

President Obama should finish those 28 helicopter for future presidents of the united states because they deserved the best .

[surfcitysteven]

Non-issue, the prez needs the best. As long as they aren't made in France or South Korea.

[AnnfromCA]

This story made me howl with laughter. This is what happens when the press exaggerates the facts. Oh boy, the country was up in arms over CEO private jets.

Now, the worm turns.

:)

It's so predictable.

[neocon666]

Puleeze!
It was W who ordered the helicopters, not Barack Obama. Besides, what's wrong with complaining that CEOs who lose billions of dollars and then ask the government for money should be cutting back? Oh, that's right you're a republican.

[jolebo]

thank you!

[PlayTOE]

Why is it that EVERYTHING Bush touch turned into a "reward my friends" fiasco where nothing actually got done because the ones paid were incompetent to actually do the work ?

Here they passed over contractors who build helicopters, and had someone reinvent the wheel ... just so they could pay them huge buckeroos.