Sikorsky / Lockheed Martin VH-92 Marine One for VXX

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Triton

Donald McKelvy
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I've seen one of these aircraft flying around DC over the last week or so. Must be starting to test their performance and integration with facilities in the DC area.
 
Earlier this year (I think) they had one land at the White House to do some test. It burned the grass.
 
yasotay said:
Earlier this year (I think) they had one land at the White House to do some test. It burned the grass.
Click to expand...

That was late 2018. But I think not publicized until DOT&E's report last year.

www.stripes.com

New presidential helicopter has a flaw: It scorches the White House lawn

The presidential helicopter isn't supposed to leave scorch marks on the White House lawn. So the Navy and Lockheed Martin are working to fix a "high risk" problem after the new Marine One did just that in a test without the president on board.
www.stripes.com

And it still has the same issue, apparently.

 
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defence-blog.com

Sikorsky to build six VH-92A helicopters for Biden administration

U.S. helicopter maker Sikorsky Aircraft, a unit of Lockheed Martin, will build six additional VH-92A Presidential Helicopters under a $470.8-million contract from the U.S. Navy. According to the U.S. Department of Defense contract announcements, Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. was awarded a modification...
defence-blog.com defence-blog.com
 
Spotted one of the VH-72s again on my drive home from work yesterday. Very low over the highway (lower than the H-60s that often fly the same route.). It's a big bird. It feels larger than the VH-3s, if only because the sponsons give it a wide, flat surface when seen from below.
 
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It will be a good replacement I think. The platform has done well in the civil market.
 
Rumor has it that the S-92 concept began with a suggestion from a Canadian Armed Force pilot. Back around 1982 or 1983, a group of Canadian pilots and navigators - from a Sea King squadron - visited the Sikorsky factory in Connecticut and politely listened to the sales pitch on the SH-60 Seahawk. While they acknowledged the superior drive train, they commented on the cabin being too small to accommodate all their anti-submarine equipment plus the admiral's barge role ... er ... misc. cargo like cross-decking the padre on Sunday mornings. When they suggested a Fat Hawk version (e.g. S-61R Jolly Green Giant SAR helicopter used by the USAF), Sikorsky salesmen chuckled and escorted them to the door. A decade or so later, Sikorsky announced their new S-92 which was essentially an S-61R fuselage hanging under updated SH-60 rotors. After too many delays to mention, the RCAF finally received their first CH-148 Cyclone helicopters in 2018.
 
riggerrob said:
Rumor has it that the S-92 concept began with a suggestion from a Canadian Armed Force pilot. Back around 1982 or 1983, a group of Canadian pilots and navigators - from a Sea King squadron - visited the Sikorsky factory in Connecticut and politely listened to the sales pitch on the SH-60 Seahawk. While they acknowledged the superior drive train, they commented on the cabin being too small to accommodate all their anti-submarine equipment plus the admiral's barge role ... er ... misc. cargo like cross-decking the padre on Sunday mornings. When they suggested a Fat Hawk version (e.g. S-61R Jolly Green Giant SAR helicopter used by the USAF), Sikorsky salesmen chuckled and escorted them to the door. A decade or so later, Sikorsky announced their new S-92 which was essentially an S-61R fuselage hanging under updated SH-60 rotors. After too many delays to mention, the RCAF finally received their first CH-148 Cyclone helicopters in 2018.
Click to expand...
I’ve only seen the Cyclone once and that was freezing wet Wednesday of Paris Air Show 2011 of their first one at the Sikorsky / United Technologies Chalet so here are my photos.

Absolute tragedy the other year with the loss of one in the Med / Adriatic Sea…thankfully a mate of mine who is a Combat Systems Operator on the Cyclone was not on that a/c.

cheers
 

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The Sikorsky Aircraft / Lockheed Martin VH-92A Patriot was to enter presidential service in 2024, but has been demoted to backup duty so far, due to issues with its encrypted communications systems, and because the manufacturers still can’t figure out how to keep it from scorching the White House’s South Lawn.
Sources:
Forbes [No Paywall]
Bloomberg News [Paywall]
Gulf News [No Paywall]
IMHO after the 2024 election, the next FLOTUS or "First Dude" , whoever she or he may be, should redesign the South Lawn with a heat resistant helipad. A new "helipad" or nowadays "vertiport" should have either the American flag or the presidential seal instead of the letter "H".
Disclaimer: My opinion is to be seen as non-political, because this forum and this topic is not about the 2024 presidential election. Thanks in advance. :)
 
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The USMC formally accepted the 23rd and final Sikorsky Aircraft / Lockheed Martin VH-92A Patriot. :)
Link:
news.lockheedmartin.com

Sikorsky Completes Delivery of New Presidential Helicopters

OWEGO, N.Y., Aug. 19, 2024 – The U.S. Marine Corps formally accepted the 23rd and final next-generation VH-92A presidential helicopter built by Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin Company (NYSE: LMT) in...
news.lockheedmartin.com news.lockheedmartin.com

I hope to see this presidential helicopter taking off from the White House’s South Lawn soon, but no new news so far, if the manufacturers have already solved the two mentioned issues, regarding the encrypted communications systems and the lawn scorching.
Disclaimer: My opinion is to be seen as non-political, because this forum and this topic is not about the 2024 presidential election. Thanks in advance. :)
 
The Sikorsky Aircraft / Lockheed Martin VH-92 A Patriot was used for the first time as Marine One in Chicago today. Just for your information, the POTUS Biden will speak later today at the DNC 2024 in Chicago.
Links (X aka Twitter) :
https://twitter.com/x/status/1825625196763501034
View: https://x.com/thenewarea51/status/1825625196763501034?t=_honT4ICAjL8fz2S1T20ig&s=19

https://twitter.com/x/status/1825622022396743744
View: https://x.com/Breaking_4_News/status/1825622022396743744?t=vtnROTXiuCKNYEoL6fQRGQ&s=19
Another source:
www.twz.com

VH-92 Helicopter Has Finally Flown Its First ‘Marine One’ Mission

President Joe Biden today took his first flight aboard the VH-92A Patriot helicopter after years of delays to the program. President Joe Biden today took his first flight aboard the VH-92A Patriot helicopter after years of delays to the program.
www.twz.com www.twz.com

Disclaimer: My opinion is again to be seen as non-political, because this forum and this topic is not about the 2024 presidential election. Thanks in advance. :)
 
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fightingirish said:
The USMC formally accepted the 23rd and final Sikorsky Aircraft / Lockheed Martin VH-92A Patriot. :)
Link:
news.lockheedmartin.com

Sikorsky Completes Delivery of New Presidential Helicopters

OWEGO, N.Y., Aug. 19, 2024 – The U.S. Marine Corps formally accepted the 23rd and final next-generation VH-92A presidential helicopter built by Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin Company (NYSE: LMT) in...
news.lockheedmartin.com news.lockheedmartin.com

I hope to see this presidential helicopter taking off from the White House’s South Lawn soon, but no new news so far, if the manufacturers have already solved the two mentioned issues, regarding the encrypted communications systems and the lawn scorching.
Disclaimer: My opinion is to be seen as non-political, because this forum and this topic is not about the 2024 presidential election. Thanks in advance. :)
Click to expand...

I've been seeing them fly around DC quite a lot, apparently for testing and to move people who don't need the high-assurance secure comms the President needs. I expect they will start flying as Marine One in DC very soon (perhaps even immediately after the convention).
 
riggerrob said:
Rumor has it that the S-92 concept began with a suggestion from a Canadian Armed Force pilot. Back around 1982 or 1983, a group of Canadian pilots and navigators - from a Sea King squadron - visited the Sikorsky factory in Connecticut and politely listened to the sales pitch on the SH-60 Seahawk. While they acknowledged the superior drive train, they commented on the cabin being too small to accommodate all their anti-submarine equipment plus the admiral's barge role ... er ... misc. cargo like cross-decking the padre on Sunday mornings. When they suggested a Fat Hawk version (e.g. S-61R Jolly Green Giant SAR helicopter used by the USAF), Sikorsky salesmen chuckled and escorted them to the door. A decade or so later, Sikorsky announced their new S-92 which was essentially an S-61R fuselage hanging under updated SH-60 rotors. After too many delays to mention, the RCAF finally received their first CH-148 Cyclone helicopters in 2018.
Click to expand...
Rumor is, once again, wrong.

Sikorsky was evaluating an enlarged design based on the S-70 (H-60) before 1980.
 
BlackBat242 said:
Rumor is, once again, wrong.

Sikorsky was evaluating an enlarged design based on the S-70 (H-60) before 1980.
Click to expand...
I worked in the aero group there from 1980 to 1986. When I first got there, I saw drawings of a tall fuselage S-70 (UH-60), which I think was called the MCH (Medium Civil Helicopter). I remember later seeing detailed drawings of how the S-70 fuselage frames could be split at max half breadth, with a section inserted to create a taller fuselage. I think at one point this version was designated S-78.

The S-92 came about after I left, but uses an airfoil I designed on much of the rotor blade, as does the UH-60M.

This is from Jane's 1974-75: 1724213013816.png
 
Did Sikorsky have any involvement in the redesign of the S-70 resulting in the Mitsubishi SH-60J Kai/SH-60K?
 
Silly question perhaps, what is it that burns the grass? I cannot see where that heat could be vented to do that.
 
Foo Fighter said:
Silly question perhaps, what is it that burns the grass? I cannot see where that heat could be vented to do that.
Click to expand...

Downdraft from the engines. The fix seems to be to adjust blade pitch so it isn't blowing as much hot air downward while sitting on the ground.

Landing Zone (LZ) Suitability Key System Attribute (KSA) for exhaust damage to the LZ does not meet the requirement 100% of the time. VH-92A exhaust can cause damage to grass with rotors turning under certain ambient conditions. Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation is currently on contract to complete an Increased Range in Blade Pitch Angle (IRBPA) mechanical systems change to resolve exhaust damage, on LZ surfaces, when rotors are turning.
Click to expand...
 
aim9xray said:
Did Sikorsky have any involvement in the redesign of the S-70 resulting in the Mitsubishi SH-60J Kai/SH-60K?
Click to expand...
The J was a more or less fully Sikorsky design built on license, a couple were even built in CT. Japan contributed their own preferred systems where appropriate, increasing over time in the K and L improvements.
 
Moose said:
The J was a more or less fully Sikorsky design built on license, a couple were even built in CT. Japan contributed their own preferred systems where appropriate, increasing over time in the K and L improvements.
Click to expand...

What I did not realize is that the K is actually larger than other SH-60s. Or so MHI says, anyway. (Maybe they found ways to enlarge the cabin without touching the outer mould line? Dunno.)
Other improvements include the enlargement of the cabin (enlarged by 30 cm in length and 15 cm in height compared with SH-60J), as well as the installation of additional equipments such as a multifunction FDR (flight data recorder) and video transmission system.
Click to expand...
 

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If you compare their APS-124 mounting to those on USN SeaHawks, it looks as if they subtly redesigned the cabin floor to drop slightly.
 

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