Military AI Works

http://news.yahoo.com/sikorsky-wins-u-n ... ector.html

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Sikorsky Aircraft, a unit of United Technologies Corp, won an initial $1.24 billion contract to develop and build six new U.S. presidential helicopters, the first step toward a fleet of 21 new aircraft by 2023, the Pentagon announced on Wednesday.

The award capped years of efforts by the U.S. Navy to replace the current fleet of aging Marine One helicopters, also built by Sikorsky, some of which have ferried the president and other top officials since 1974.

Sikorsky has built all presidential helicopters since 1957, when Dwight Eisenhower became the first U.S. president to regularly use helicopters.

Former Defense Secretary Robert Gates canceled an earlier program managed by Lockheed Martin Corp in 2009 after the cost more than doubled to around $13 billion, prompting President Barack Obama to describe it "an example of the procurement process gone amok."

The total value of the new program is expected to be about $3 billion, said Marty Hauser, director of government communications for United Technologies.

It's about time. They should have gone the Sikorsky route years ago. (I'm not biased at all.)

I flew "plane guard" (above and behind at 1/4 to 1/2 mile) for Marine One back when Pres. Johnson visited a carrier off the Virginia capes way back when. We waited for Marine One at Wallops Island. As they passed overhead we took up "plane guard" and followed out to the carrier. Orbited the carrier 'til the visit was over then followed Marine One back to shore 'til the reported "feet dry". Hard to believe that was probably 50 years ago. Strange how some things bring back forgotten memories.

Agree Joe, and I'm not biased either (19yrs with a Sikorsky product in 2 services). Had the chance to support "Dubba" on his trips home to central TX. Never saw a USN H-3 in as good as shape as the HMX-1 Marine One was.

Victory103 wrote: Never saw a USN H-3 in as good as shape as the HMX-1 Marine One was.

True, true ! Only went down hard in two of them, once in the North Atlantic in November and once in a freshly plowed (Thank God) tobacco field in Virginny. Three other times were precautionary (get on the ground ASAP - smoke and fire in the cockpit). Five times in almost 4000 hrs.