Few time-honored symbols of American freedom, strength and democracy endure as powerfully in the world's collective consciousness as the image of a U.S. President crossing the White House lawn to board his helicopter, "Marine One."
Whether in times of war, peace or crisis, the helicopters that have carried every President since Eisenhower represent more than just secure, efficient transportation for those who hold the most important job in the land. They embody the vast responsibilities and unmatched capabilities that accompany the Commander-in-Chief wherever he goes.
The President's helicopter, a VH-3 Sea King, is part of a fleet of workhorse aircraft that fly the President for short hops to places like Camp David and Andrews Air Force Base, where he catches long-distance flights on Air Force One. But after decades of service, the Sea Kings are reaching, as one former Marine One pilot put it, "the end of their useful life cycle." For the 21st century, when more sophisticated electronics are packed into an aircraft, and in an era of post-9/11 threats, the White House has decided to upgrade.
Enter the US101, one of two aircraft vying to be the President's next helicopter. Built by a team of companies led by Maryland-based Lockheed Martin, it is large, powerful, safe and packed with the latest avionics, defense and communications gear, earning it the badge of "Oval Office in the sky."
"The President deserves nothing less than the best helicopter in the world," says Stephen D. Ramsey, Lockheed Martin's US101 vice president, who leads a team that includes partner AgustaWestland. "The US101 is a military helicopter that has proven itself in battle and is flown all over the world. It is the best helicopter for the mission and the best helicopter for the Commander-in-Chief."
With three engines, the US101 can land safely even if it loses an engine - something the competition cannot claim. It also has more than 50,000 hours of flight time, including service in places like Bosnia and Iraq, ensuring that the President of the United States will not, as Ramsey says, act as a "test pilot on an unproven aircraft."
The unproven aircraft in question is the competition's "S-92," a prototype helicopter based on a civilian "helibus" developed with partner companies in China, Japan, Taiwan and Brazil. It has virtually no flight record, is smaller than the US101 and has only two engines, leaving a slimmer margin for safety.
Developed by Sikorsky Aircraft and a bevy of foreign partners, Sikorsky recently began trumpeting the S-92's "American" content - hoping that election-year politics would sway the upcoming Marine One contract award.
The strategy has been watched with interest by industry observers like Robert E. Freer, President of the non-partisan Free Enterprise Foundation based in Charleston, South Carolina.
"In an effort to appeal to the prevailing political winds, Sikorsky unceremoniously dumped its international partners ... the very partners who helped develop the S-92 in the first place," says Freer. "While there may be something to be said for 'buy America' notions on national defense items, it is mere symbolism here. Sikorsky is no stranger to globalization. This aircraft is the product of a global design team and its parent company, United Technologies, has been reaping the efficiencies of foreign outsourcing for years. At least 60 percent of all UTC employees currently work outside the U.S. and the company continues to move industrial-age manufacturing jobs to more efficient operations overseas."
Experts say the Marine One competition will more likely be decided on the merits of the aircraft rather than the politics of protectionism. And the US101, say analysts, offers a lot for defense procurement officials and future Presidents to like.
"It is the only operationally-proven helicopter competing for the Marine One mission and the only one built to demanding military specifications -; far surpassing the civilian design of its competitor," says former Congressman Robert S. Walker, who has chaired both the U.S. House of Representatives Science Committee and the President's Commission on the Future of the United States Aerospace Industry. "Its cabin is one-third larger than its competition, with superior range, power and payload capability. Its three-engine design produces a safer, smoother flight than its two-engine competition. Many aspects of the competing platform are still in development, whereas the 101 is operational today."
Sikorsky's marketing attempts, while obscuring true technical comparisons of the two aircraft, have also been hampered by its own international dealings. The company recently signed an assistance agreement with a Korean aviation company owned by Rev. Sun Myung Moon, and in June opened a new helicopter plant in China.
Sikorsky must also own up to a history of outsourcing to Chinese suppliers with spotty security records. One such company, the China National Aero-Technology Import & Export Corporation (CATIC), was fined in 2001 for diverting Sikorsky S-92 technology to the Chinese military. CATIC was also cited in 2002 by the U.S. State Dept. for illegal technology sales to Iran.
By contrast, the Lockheed Martin-led team is lining up more than 200 U.S. suppliers in 41 states, including companies like world-renowned Bell Helicopter, which will assemble the airframe in Amarillo, Texas. In New York alone, businesses in 37 counties will supply components, creating 750 jobs in towns like Owego, where Lockheed Martin will integrate the helicopter's electronic systems.
"At small and medium-sized plants across the United States, the US101 will be as American as the workers who build it," says Ramsey. "The President of the United States will be safe, well-defended and proud to fly in this helicopter." - NU
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