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

[BEHM777]

Get the choppers Mr President. The guys at HMX-1 will appreciate it. Besides, we NEED you to be as safe as possible these next seven years, eleven moths, and four days.

[hortonhearsawho2]

Hear Hear.

[Shashi0224]

I agree 100%. President Obama's safety is number 1 for our country and the world. Whatever it takes to keep him safe is what we need to do!!

[FEARTHETRUTH]

This issue is much bigger than Barack Obama. It is not about him as aperson but rather what he signifies. He, and all presidents embody the sovereignty of the United States of America. Therefore and attack, assasination or death of the president while he is in office is an attack on the United States of America. He or she is therefore the number one thing to be protected in the scheme of National Security, since without him or she, there is tecnically no America.
So fellow commentators, what price our sovereignty? What price America?

[hortonhearsawho2]

Ah yes in a perfect world...

[harriscrl3]

The President's security should never be compromise. I dont see how these two things can be compared. President Obama is fighiting against the Washington bubble and is interacting more with the people than with any other President I've seen so when it comes to having the most secured helicopters even though they may be expensive I'm willing to give him som leeway

Carol

[Doofus]

It was a controversial decision when it was made a few years ago, to purchase
a 'new, foreign-designed' helicopter to use as 'Marine 1', over a 'trusted, US
design' from Sikorsky. It appears they are still working the kinks out of the
Euro-designed model, and the cost has sky-rocketed. So, there's going
to be some controversy.

[Doofus]

And... 'one' is actually a fleet of course, larger than the previous fleet in fact.

[JFaye]

First, to compare the President of the United States need for a safe and quick mode of travel to CEOs hop-scotching across the globe is ridiculous and a bit trite. This falls under lazy reporting ...

[Doofus]

'Most expensive helicopter ever' (And that was back when it was only $270M each. Now about twice that.)

(Wiki) VXX competition

The U.S. Department of Defense issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) on 18 December 2003 for the supply of 23 helicopters to replace the 11 VH-3Ds and 8 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 then unspecified numerical part of the designation).

Both AgustaWestland and Sikorsky responded to the RFP. Sikorsky proposed the VH-92, a variant of the H-92 Superhawk, in partnership with FlightSafety International, L-3 Communications, Northrop Grumman, Rockwell Collins, Vought Aircraft Industries, and GE-Aviation.

On 28 January 2005 the Department of Defense announced that it had selected the US101 for the VXX program. The US101 team was awarded a US$1.7 billion contract for the VXX system development and demonstration (SDD) phase. The price of the development later rose by 40% to $2.4 billion. The full cost of the project is estimated at $6.1 Bn, although some analysts expect the cost to rise above $7Bn, making this the most expensive helicopter ever, with a unit cost of $270m.
As of March 2008 the program cost totaled $11.2Bn, making each helicopter more expensive than the Boeing 747-based VC-25s that serve as Air Force One after adjustment for inflation.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VH-71

[JohnFObama]

Firstly these helicopters are a tiny cost in the big scheme of things, and something that is so vital to Presidential security should not be victim to cost cutting missions. Vehicles the President uses including his place, car and helicopter have to be updated regularly to stay ahead of the most modern threats. For all those against this expenditure how would you feel if the current president or any future president was attacked and assassinated while in the current model helicopter and the reason he died is because these helicopters didnt have some security measure that the new ones would have had. That would be a tragedy.

Some things are too important to be part of the governments cost cutting. This is one of them. If you think this is an unnecessary expense you may as well fire the entire secret service, get rid of the white house and make the president live in his own house, sell air force one on ebay, sell the new limo while you're at it too. All these measures would save a lot of money but noone in good conscience would agree to it. And we also shouldn't agree with this.

[Doofus]

Well, maybe so, but 28 of the 'most expensive helicopter ever' even to
transport the President & associated bigwigs around seems a bit much.

[hortonhearsawho2]

Not to the millions that voted for him....

[onlyred]

Let's be realistic, we're not talking about luxury here, we're talking about the President of the United States of America. This position historically has been fraught with assassinations and attempts, and the current administration is certainly not immune to the threats, which are already on record.

Simply put, this is not greed, this is safety. Do we need 10? Maybe not, but who are we to say? We, the people, who sit around not giving a second thought to whether he is safe. We know nothing of what it takes to keep a president safe.

You GOP worshippers that think you have something to say about this should remember that we are NOT going to forget the previous administration throwing caution and billions of dollars to the wind. Ever. So sorry that you'll be living with the memories of your party for a long time. Memories only, because no GOPers stand a chance in he// of hitting the White House lottery after Bush/Cheney. Keep up the smack talk.. and take a baby wipe to the egg on your face, it looks ridiculous.

[scooperss]

I'm not being snarky or un-American but seriously why 28 helicopters?

[hortonhearsawho2]

Who knows...

[MsDoc]

I suspect they will be based at various military bases around the country.

[PlaceboStudman]

For safety and security reasons. It's simply more feasable to have several (28 in this case) scattered across the country, so that if he is in one place, he can get to another place quickly if the situation warrants. If he were in California during 9/11, for example, it would be nice to have a back up IN california to take him to NY, then he can instruct others to rally his cabinet away to the secret bunkers around the country

[scooperss]

He could just have 1 with him at all times. 2 at the most.

[me again]

If they can keep the old fleet flying and in good shape, there is no reason to replace the old fleet at this time.

[SpoxLogic]

I have to disagree. Those H-3's are from the 1960's era. Even though they are strong workhorses, they are so damn hard to maintain. I shudder every time I see one in the air. Maybe they can reduce the number from 28, but replace them, they must.
This is a new age and just as the Presidential limos have been upgraded, something that can fall out of the sky needs to be upgraded as well.

[karela]

It gives me the willies to think that the President's life is dependent on a helicopter that was built when Mr. Ed was still a talking horse on black and white TV. This is nuts.

On the other hand, if two Air Force One's can do the job, why 28 Marine One's? I think they should designate four of them for the President and make sure they have the bells and whistles, but he can only ride one at a time and cabinet members do not need the ability to run the country in war time from the helicopters they ride. For security and distraction/deception purposes, the helper helicopters have to look the same on the outside, but they do not need a full complement of equipment needed by the President. Also, why from 19 up to 28? I realize that there are things I don't know, but 19 already sounds like too many. This shouldn't be used as a perk. This is expensive equipment for the safety of the President and of the country. Others can ride in reasonable comfort without all the bells and whistles. Not everyone needs the level of security necessary for the President. This sounds like porked up military spending from the Bush years if it goes beyond the security of the President.

[hortonhearsawho2]

Get a manual online and meet there, we can check um out...

[PlaceboStudman]

I think that's the whole point. The fleet isn't going to be in good flying shape for much longer, and it takes years to get these orders made and filled and have the choppers distributed where needed, so it's not practical or feasable NOT TO have a new fleet that could cost much less than the maintanence of the old fleet.

It's no different, really, than the fact that it is now cheaper to buy a new car than it is to maintain some older cars

[Jezreel]

Utterly ridiculous and a totally none issue. What is the POTUS supposed to do? Is he supposed fly in cheap or old and dilapidated helicopters just to make some reporter happy?

[Realization]

While they are at it on the helicopters, which I have no doubt are overly expensive. The White House should review policy regarding Presidential trips. Overseas trips can have up to 700-800 people. Not only advance teams but pre-advance or pre-pre-advance. These are sometimes over 50 people. Lots of cost and little benefit. Fact is that the more people that go, the more people that need to go to take care of those people, not the President. And there is an excess of mid-to high level hangers on who want to be important in the shadow of power. Suggest a cut in staffing by 50 to 75%. Easily done with no impact on effectiveness or security - but for the opposition of those involved who like to travel.

[Lionsden]

Oh for heaven's sake. Obama has no qualms about spending other peoples money.

[pupbayer]

No joke. I think we all know how this "decision" will go.

[AngieMom57]

"...up up and away, in my beautiful, my beautiful balloon!"

You heard it here first folks! NONE of us are IMMUNE to corruption, privileged, and power, I certainly am not, R U ????

[NCYvonne]

You know how the decision will go? Tell us, oh wise one. You know everything, except that it took 60 votes to pass the stimulus.

You're so anxious to blame Obama for everything now you're blaming him for decisions that were made six years ago when he was a state senator!

And you want people to believe that your irrational h@tred for the democratic president (whose positions are nearly identical to the person you supported in the primary) has nothing to do with the fact that he's black?

After 35 years of voting exclusively for Democrats you couldn't bring yourself to vote for this Democrat because of what? Oh, I remember: he didn't give enough money to charity and his wife "whines." Soooooo credible. NOT!

[hortonhearsawho2]

We decided Nov. 4, 2008....nice to c ur outa that coma...

[Jetling]

He's still got another FOUR POT FIVE TRILLION dollars of cushion before he catches up with the amount Dubya added to the National Debt.

Let's roll back those tax cuts to FDR, circa 1945. That will knock out the debt.

[mick7191]

Just like Bush, only less so.

[DanniD]

CORRECTION

"BU-SH has no qualms about spending other peoples money!"

This cockamamie idea for 28 helicopters that each cost more than AF1 started with the White House in 2002 and was apparently approved and supported by the GOP controlled House and Senate.

[hortonhearsawho2]

usa usa usa...prefer clothing allowances is it.

[Patrick Lockyer]

And the Queen flies on British airways? My how the world works?

[FEARTHETRUTH]

The queen does not fly British Airways. The Royal Air Force has a special sqadron of transport aircrafts and helicopters called the Queen's Flight. It provides air transport for members of the royal family and senior members of the government. The queen also has a special train, and until recently a yacht called Britannia.

[Bettysdad]

Maybe Obama can ask the contractors, who have received gazillions over the years, to do the work at cost. as a gesture to help their own country in a time of crisis, You know, the same country whose flag these death industry execs wear on their lapels.

I'm sure Obama could sweet talk all these people who are just dying to get the chance to help America.

[unmannedanimal]

1. drop the lockmart contract.

2. buy v-22s.

strike a blow for procurement reform and post a well-deserved vote of confidence for the osprey.

[EmberOfTruth]

unmannedanimal, based on your comment about the "v-22", I can only presume that you work "outside of the industry".

[katooom]

V-22???!! That has to be facetious, or maybe he just hates Obama enough to want to see him literally go down in flames.

[unmannedanimal]

not an internet tough guy.

are you hiring?