[FedCom] Prez New Helo Another Military Disobey Taxpayers

[Brian]

Prez New Helo Another Military Disobey Taxpayers - February 27, 2012

February 27, 2012
Congressional Committees
Subject: Presidential Helicopter Acquisition: Effort Delayed as DOD Adopts New Approach to Balance
Requirements, Costs, and Schedule

<http://cryptome.org/2012/01/gao-12-381r.pdf> (PDF FILE)


current plans are to acquire 23 VXX aircraft. According to Navy officials, the current inventory of
19 aircraft is sometimes stressed in meeting the operational demands placed on them--demands that
have been growing--making it difficult to take them out of service for further upgrades. The larger
VXX inventory is expected to help address this.

The termination of the VH-71 program and delays in the current VXX effort have necessitated efforts
to extend the life and upgrade the capabilities of the current presidential helicopters. In its
fiscal year 2011 budget, the Navy requested funding for modifications to maintain the VH-3D and
VH-60N until the VXX is fielded. These efforts will extend the ability of the VH-3Ds and VH-60Ns to
carry out their missions.
Those modifications include:

. VH-60N Cockpit Upgrade effort-to upgrade to all-glass instrumentation panel;
. Communication Suite Upgrades for both aircraft-to provide radio and cryptographic upgrades and
improved data transfer;
. VH-3D Lift Improvement program-to provide all 11 VH-3Ds with composite main rotor blades to
improve the weight they can lift; and
. Service Life Extension Program for both aircraft-to extend the VH-3D's service life by 4,000
flight hours to 18,000 hours and the VH-60N's by 4,000 flight hours to 14,000 hours.