A VH-92 “Marine One” helicopter in flight. VH-92 manufacturer Sikorsky recently won a $107 million contract to improve the helicopter’s rotor blades. (US Marine Corps/Cpl. Eric Huynh)

Trump’s Presidential Aircraft Are Ruinously Expensive

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In addition to a new $100 million improvement to the Marine One helicopters, Trump’s new “Air Force One” must undergo upgrades to improve its aerial defenses.

The unique aircraft that transport President Donald Trump share one thing in common: all are extraordinarily expensive to purchase and maintain, due in large part to the security required. Regardless of its size, each aircraft needs to serve as a secure, airborne mobile command center, which depends on advanced security systems, unhackable military communications, and specialized engineering built for what is actually a small production fleet.

Much of the emphasis of late has been on the cost of the largest and newest of the aircraft, the VC-25Bs—the military designation of the two Boeing 747s that will serve as “Air Force One” upon their completion circa 2028. However, the US Navy also confirmed that it would spend more than $100 million to upgrade the rotor blades for the VH-92A presidential helicopter, which has the callsign “Marine One” when the president is onboard.

Lockheed Martin subsidiary Sikorsky, the original manufacturer of the militarized version of the commercial S-92 rotary-wing aircraft, was awarded a new contract valued at more than $107 million late on Friday afternoon. Work on the upgrade........

© The National Interest