WASHINGTON — The new presidential helicopter has been demoted to backup duty because Lockheed Martin Corp. still can't figure out how to keep it from scorching the White House's South Lawn.
The VH-92 Patriot is landing only on paved runways for now, flying missions with White House officials or Secret Service staff instead of carrying President Joe Biden. The problem is down to an issue first identified in 2018 — the helicopter's spinning rotors and engine exhaust sometimes scorch the grass where it lands.
With its emblematic “white top” paint job, Marine One — its designation when the president is on board — is as much a symbol of the U.S. presidency as Air Force One. Crowds of reporters and White House guests often gather to watch the president depart from its traditional takeoff spot on the South Lawn.
For the time being, the helicopter doing that job will remain the VH-3D Sea King, which like the VH-92 is is built by Lockheed's Sikorsky unit.
Lockheed has so far delivered 20 VH-92 helicopters to the Marine Corps under the $5 billion program, Lockheed spokeswoman Melissa Chadwick said. She said the company believes it's found a fix and will start testing soon.
“We have been working in close collaboration with our customer and have an agreed upon landing zone solution with testing planned to validate and ensure the aircraft meets that specific operational requirement,” Chadwick said.
According to a White…
