politics
Sikorsky to fund new White House helicopter landing pad
President Trump said Monday that Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin subsidiary, will pay for construction of a new helicopter landing pad on the White House South Lawn. The move follows concerns that the company's new Marine One helicopters damage existing landing areas.
Jul 7, 5:13 AM·1m read2 sources
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The company, a Lockheed Martin subsidiary, was selected in 2014 to develop new presidential helicopters. The new helicopters cost $5 billion but cannot always land on the lawn because their exhaust damages the landing zones. Trump said the older helicopters are about 40 years old and roughly two-and-a-half times less powerful than the new ones.
Background on the project The Trump administration has considered fixes for the landing issue since early last year. One official said Sikorsky was asked about strengthening the landing zones but responded that it was not feasible. Lockheed Martin has received several large defense contracts in recent months, including a $35 billion award in June for THAAD interceptors and a $3 billion contract for GMLRS rockets.
The company also secured a $4.7 billion contract for PAC-3 missiles in April and a $10.9 billion award to Sikorsky in September for CH-53K helicopters.
