Posted on 11/27/2012 2:10:15 PM PST by ColdOne
The Pentagon has launched a new project to replace the aging helicopters used by the US president, three years after a program was canceled due to surging costs.
The next generation of Marine One choppers used by the White House incumbent would start flying in 2020, replacing the current fleet of 19 Vh-3D Sea Kings and VH-60N Night Hawks manufactured by Sikorsky.
(Excerpt) Read more at breitbart.com ...
Why do they need 19 or 25 or 28 copters for one president? I know some people have to travel with him, but how many people and how many copters would be in use at one time?
Just curious.
Why not CH-47 “Shithooks,” seems appropriate to me, because of all the **** he has thrown our way. IMHO.
Spares and Decoys for security.
They need to be wind or solar powered.
Maybe his muslim colleagues can give him a flying carpet or two?
Can I design Omoslem’s new helicopter fleet?
My design looks like a stack of flying carpets.
Big enough to carry the First Camel around the caliphate, helping al qaeda.
IIRC part of the reasons to scrap the original contract was that it was going to be awarded to a European company (Westland?) for their EH-101 medium helocopter.
“In a draft request for proposals, the US Navy said it wanted to buy 25 helicopters and to integrate advanced communications equipment into a chopper that is already operational, instead of building an entirely new aircraft.”
Why not buy existing aircraft ‘off the shelf’, and send them to NARF at Cherry Point to install all the bells and whistles they want. It seems that a lot of the cost overruns occur when a new ‘improved’ item/device has to be integrated into an existing airframe, and it requires major redesign or changes.
“NARF” is no more, it is now ‘Fleet Readiness Center East.’
How else can they spend $1.5B a year carting the presidents family around each year!
Osprey.
;)!!!!!!!
Wait a minute........I thought there are massive Defense cuts on the horizon! Oh, I guess the Military can spend more money as long as it is for The Won.
They are positioned at various places where the Prez frequently flies.
Every time I see those choppers or AFOne, I think to myself, “You know, ole Joe wouldn’t be all that bad as president. He makes us laugh.”
The next generation of Marine One choppers used by the White House incumbent would start flying in 2020....
***
Which will still be Dear Leader.
IMHO, a POTOS should fly incognito on standard military planes. I would think the ideal would be back seat of a Super Hornet. There should also be some transport aircraft just decked out with nice chairs.
Same deal in terms of multiple copies so they can be available wherever needed in the world; each command could have it’s own Presidential unit.
For POTUS Presidential comm, just have the planes outfitted with a comm system that’s real simple that communicates with a distributed network of comm hubs on the ground, so talking to any one of them is all that’s needed.
Also, the plane’s normal comm is there as a final backup for issuing a go/nogo command if necessary.
That’s a much smarter and lower cost way to go, IMHO, all it needs is the custom comm system.
Keep all the fancy stuff of AF1 out of the picture.
If it’s just normal travel, the transport with the comfortable seats can be used. Ditch all that chef and fancy meals; keep it simple. Of course, all the hangers-on would not like riding in AF1 then, but that would be better, IMHO.
The idea of staying aloft for a long time does not buy much, IMHO. I would think a quick getaway and the ability to land at a military base is most important.
I think it’s clear from 9/11 that even if comm had worked, the rest of the leadership of the Exec and Legis branch of government, not in the plane, feels leaderless. The POTUS just has to get somewhere and get back in the game. The idea of floating around in the big bird for hour after hour did not work out well - the nation waited, wondering where POTUS was. And everyone knows the plane can’t stay up there forever. And it’s a big, slow bird, IMHO, even with whatever it’s got.
I’m just a laymen, though, so I can’t say that this idea is good or bad from a professional’s point of view.
Nice comfy lawn chair, some pakolo, now that's flyin'!
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