https://crsreports.congress.gov
Updated November 26, 2021
VH-92 Presidential Helicopter
The Marine Corps operates a fleet of helicopters to provide
transportation for the President, Vice President, and other
senior officials. These aircraft are known as “Marine One”
when the President is aboard. The VH-92 program is
intended to provide 23 new helicopters to replace the
current fleet of aging VH-3D and VH-60N presidential
helicopters.
Figure 1. VH-92A
Source: U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Hunter Helis.
An earlier replacement program, the VH-71, was
terminated in 2009 following substantial cost growth and
schedule delays. Following that termination, in FY2010, the
Obama Administration proposed a new presidential
helicopter program, called the VXX Presidential Helicopter
Program, which became today’s VH-92 program.
Of the 23 VH-92 helicopters the Marine Corps plans to
acquire, six were acquired through research and
development funding for development and test prior to
2019, and four of those are to be outfitted to join the
operational fleet. Congress appropriated $649 million for
six production VH-92s in FY2019 and $641 million for
another six in FY2020. The final five were included in a
$578 million appropriation in FY2021. The total program
acquisition cost, including development and procurement, is
projected at $4.9 billion, 5.6% less than initially estimated
in 2014.
Mission of Presidential Helicopters
Presidential helicopters are operated by a Marine Corps
squadron called Marine Helicopter Squadron One (HMX-
1), headquartered at Marine Corps Airfield Quantico, VA.
The Department of Defense (DOD) states that HMX-1’s
helicopters are “to provide safe, reliable, and timely
transportation for the President, Vice President, Foreign
Heads of State, and other official parties as directed by the
Director of the White House Military Office.” In addition to
providing that transportation, presidential helicopters are
equipped with specialized self-defense features and
communications systems that permit the President to carry
out critical command functions while aboard. Presidential
helicopters need to be large enough to carry a certain
number of passengers and mission equipment, but small
enough to operate from the White House lawn.
The fleet of executive helicopters are known as “White
Tops” for their distinctive paint scheme; other helicopters
operated by HMX-1 that carry cargo and support staff are
called “Green Tops.” VH-92s are being procured only for
the White Top role.
Figure 2. VH-3D “Sea King”
Source: U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1
st
Class Perry Aston.
Existing Presidential Helicopters
The existing presidential helicopter fleet includes 11 VH-
3D helicopters that achieved Initial Operational Capability
(IOC) in 1975, eight VH-60N helicopters that achieved IOC
in 1989, and four test and training helicopters. The
helicopters have had their service lives extended and have
been regularly upgraded over time. (Examples of upgrades
include more effective main rotor blades, improved
communications, and better cockpit displays.)
