Sikorsky Helicopter awarded $1.2B contract for nextgen "Marine One" helicopter

[A HERETIC I AM]

(A Helicopter that Obama will never ride on as President, BTW. Won't be operational until the next president is into his or her 2nd term)

The Sikorsky VH-92 to become next generation "Marine One"

Sikorsky Aircraft Co. has a long history with the U.S. Department of Defense and the President of the United States. Every U.S. President — starting with Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1957 — has flown aboard a Sikorsky helicopter.

Whenever the President is aboard one of the current Sikorsky VH-3D Sea King or VH-60N WhiteHawk aircraft, its designation is changed to “Marine One.”

Sikorsky will continue to shuttle the President around for the foreseeable future thanks to a new $1.2 billion contract to build the next generation Presidential helicopter fleet. The next generation VH-92, which is a variant of the production Sikorsky S-92A that has been in service since 2004, will “integrate government defined mission systems” and feature “an executive interior” fitting for the President of the United States. -

http://www.dailytech.com/Sikorsky+Wins+12B+Contract+for+Next+Generation+Presidential+Marine+One+Helicopter/article34877.htm

[jollyreaper2112]

1. This is beyond stupid

It's a helicopter for chrissakes, a customization of a model already in production. It's not like they're building it from scratch. What the fuck are they doing for $1.2 billion?

[Lurks Often]

2. They are building 21 of them

the basic version costs $32 million each in today's dollars, so there is $672 million right off the bat. Add in spare parts, advanced communications, advanced electronics, surface to air missile countermeasures, hardening against EMP blasts and probably a bunch of other stuff specific to Presidential fleet requirements and there's the $1.2 billion.