Sikorsky gets green light for presidential helicopter
Sikorsky has received a Low Rate Production (LRIP) Lot 1 contract from the US Navy to build six VH-92A helicopters.
The presidential helicopters will be delivered from 2021, followed by the remaining production aircraft through to 2023.
The contract, which also provides spares and training support, follows an affirmative Milestone C decision in May from the navy, which moved the development programme into production.
The VH-92A test aircraft have undergone government testing and operational assessments, including over 520 flight test hours establishing the aircraft’s technical maturity and readiness of its mission systems.
Based on the S-92 aircraft, the VH-92A aircraft will provide transportation for the US president, vice president and foreign heads of state.
Lockheed Martin delivered and installed the first VH-92A training device at the Presidential Helicopter Squadron HMX-1 in Quantico, Virginia, earlier this year. The Flight Training Device is a replica of the VH-92A cockpit to give pilots mission-oriented flight training in a simulation-based training device.
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