Posted 1/29/2005 02:38:00 PM by Douglas

For the first time since 1957, the Presidential helicopter known as Marine One isn't going to be a Sikorsky, but don't look too deep under the "Lockheed Martin" placard.

Lockheed Martin Corp. is celebrating its victory in a fierce competition to build the new fleet of presidential helicopters.

The Navy announced Friday that the $6.1 billion contract for 23 high-tech, high-security aircraft would go to Lockheed and its international partners.

International partners? Where did this aircraft, patriotically named US101, come from?

Lockheed's winning entry, the US101, is based on a British-Italian AgustaWestland aircraft, now owned by Finmeccanica. The helicopter has several key components, including the main transmission and rotor blades, that will be built overseas.

"Based on" may be a bit of an understatement here. It is an AgustaWestland helicopter, specifically, the AgustaWestland EH 101. So they're going to build them in New York and Amarillo, where is that $2.5 billion for "development" going to go? This model has been operating since 1987. Surely that money's not going to go to the International partners, England and Italy, that originally developed it, is it? Who were the two biggest European supporters of Bush war in Iraq?

The Lockheed bid, designed by AgustaWestland, was backed by UK Prime Minister Tony Blair and Italian leader Silvio Berlusconi, both supporters of the US-led military campaign in Iraq.

"This is good news for the UK and AgustaWestland. It will sustain and enhance vital leading edge helicopter design capabilities in the UK." About two-thirds of the new helicopter will be built in the US, with the remaining production split between the UK and Italy.

Hmmmm. I'm going to have to agree with Sikorsky on this one:

Sikorsky, a unit of United Technologies Corp., and its backers argued that the VH-92 Super Hawk's all-American parts provided greater security than a helicopter built in part in other countries.

Having key pieces of military hardware vital to the defense of your country being manufactured in other countries? What could possibly go wrong?