The U.S. Marine Corps received the final batch of its 23 new VH-92A Patriot presidential transport helicopters last week, an air frame known as Marine One when carrying the commander-in-chief. Sikorsky, a subsidiary of Lockheed Martin, delivered the final VH-92A Patriot helicopter in a ceremony at the company’s Owego, N.Y., facility on Aug. 14. President Joe Biden took his first flight aboard the newest Marine One after years of delays to replace aging aircraft. The new Marine One helicopters, the VH-92A Patriot, are built by Sikorsky.
Biden boarded the helicopter after arriving on Air Force One in Chicago. The new helicopters are adaptations of the S-92 commercial helicopter. It marked a crucial milestone in replacing Vietnam-era helicopters used since the 1970s. NAVAIR said the new helicopters will provide better performance and be able to carry a greater payload with improved crew coordination and communication systems. Two of the 23 VH-92A helicopters will be used for testing and the rest will be used for operations. The new program started by the Obama administration has been in regular service for several years.
