US101

The Presidential Helicopter Replacement Program (VXX) was intended to provide a safe and reliable helicopter transport for the President of the United States of America. The scope of the program was to replace the aging fleet of VH-3 and VH-60 helicopters built in the 1970s by a single platform yielding savings in total ownerships costs, engineering, maintenance, and logistics support over the lifetime of the program. First drafts envisaged the Marine One helicopter achieving initial operational capability (IOC) by 2013 but following 9-11 world environment that date was reset to fiscal year 2009 and the survivability emerged as the main feature for the new platform. The Marine One helicopter will perform as an 'Oval Office in the Sky' with heavy use of modern communications technology and survivability sub-systems. Various critical communications, navigation, and mission systems required for the Presidential helicopter support mission should be integrated into the new airframe. As of 2004, Lockheed-Martin-led team US101 with the US101 helicopter and Sikorsky's S/H-92 helicopters were competing for the VXX contract. US101 helicopter is a variant of successful AgustaWestland's EH101 multi-mission helicopter. The US Department of Defense (DoD) announced that the US Navy had selected Lockheed-Martin's US101 proposal on January 28, 2005. A $1.79 billion contract was awarded to Lockheed-Martin Systems Integration Owego, New York, for the development and demonstration (SDD) phase of the VXX program. Five US101s will be manufactured under this program with the first one achieving IOC in 2009 and the fifth aircraft delivered by September 2011. The US Navy might expand the US101 fleet to 23 aircraft by 2014. These aircraft will be operated by Marine One Squadron. The Lockheed-Martin (prime contractor and systems integration) US101 team includes AgustaWestland (aircraft design) and Bell Textron (aircraft production). General Electric, ITT, Northrop Grumman, Kaman Aerospace and Palomar Products are also involved in the US101 medium-lift helicopter. General Electric will supply three CT-8E engines rated at 2,500 shaft-horsepower to each helicopter. The development and production workload will be distributed as follows: United States of America 64 percent, United Kingdom 20 percent and Italy 15 percent. On June 1, 2009, the US Navy terminated the VH-71 presidential helicopter replacement program.

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