» News

Obama admin to spend $20 BILLION on helicopter program to replace his private fleet

Home - by - May 10, 2014 - 12:00 America/New_York - 9 Comments

– but they won’t be ready until 2022

DailyMailUK

  • The tab for a new helicopter fleet will likely top $20 billion, including $3 billion spent between 2005 and 2009 on a program that was later canceled
  • The new contract will buy 23 SIkorsky helicopters at an estimated cost of $400 million each – about the cost of the Air Force One 747 jet
  • Duplicate choppers fly as decoys whenever a president takes off from the South Lawn; others are flown to Obama’s travel destinations in advance
  • Just one company bid on the project, raising questions about whether the Navy got a fair price
  • A former senior Pentagon official said for the price, the new aircraft should have a ‘solid gold toilet … except that it would add too much weight’

The Department of Defense awarded a contract on Wednesday to a Connecticut company that will build a fleet of helicopters to replace the Marine One fleet that ferries U.S. presidents short distances.

The contract, given to Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation, will cost an initial $1,244,677,064 ‘for the engineering and manufacturing development phase of the Presidential Helicopter Replacement program.’ For that price the U.S. Navy will get six test aircraft and all the necessary research & development.

The Pentagon made a similar attempt to replace the aging fleet of Sikorsky choppers, spending $3.2 billion on a landing pad to nowhere.

Adding in the likely $17 billion price tag for the new project – a number estimated by the Congressional Budget Office – the $20 billion total makes the fleet the most expensive helicopters ever built.

more

.

» 9 Comments

  1. grayscape

    May 10th, 2014

    About the same cost as 5-6 aircraft carriers….

    Nero did similar shit – destroying Rome for his own pleasure.

    Thumb up +3

     
  2. greetingsfromyonkers

    May 10th, 2014

    ……and people think I’m crazy for predicting that he will declare martial law and designate himself as President-for-life.

    Thumb up +5

     
  3. scr_north

    May 10th, 2014

    I suspect that Obama probably didn’t have a lot to do with this particular debacle. Someone probably said that the current fleet was nearing the end of it’s life and that the next Administration or so will need them. Once given the go ahead (which really would have been just a formality) a bunch of military, secret service and maybe a politico or two got together and started a friggin wish list of requirements that skyrocketed the cost of this purchase. Obama, who doesn’t understand the value of a dollar or money in general, couldn’t give enough of a crap to question the cost (or requirements) or he just assumed (not unreasonable) that the dog and pony show put on by the requirements committee (with help from the Sikorsky reps by this point) was accurate and that all the bells and whistles are needed.

    I know it kind of goes against the grain but I figure the Obama is guilty of more then enough crimes against America and it’s people to warrant his removal from office and maybe placed in front of a jury.

    Thumb up +1

     
  4. scizzorbill

    May 10th, 2014

    I smell a rat. How much will go to the DNC and other deserving ‘entities’.

    Thumb up +2

     
  5. Major Mal Function

    May 10th, 2014

    A season pass on Metrorail would be a lot cheaper.

    Thumb up +2

     
  6. F.D.R. in Hell

    May 10th, 2014

    Read between the lines. :-(

    Thumb up +1

     
  7. Eleanor in Hell

    May 10th, 2014

    Oh, stay optimistic, America…
    Franklin was “President for life” ;-)

    Thumb up +2

     
  8. Michael W Perkins

    May 11th, 2014

    Isnt Sikorvsky a RUSSIAN Company? Wouldnt it be Prudent to have a US company making the .. oh Nevermind, hopefully they all disintigrate on takeoff.

    Thumb up 0

     
  9. Kevin Karstens

    May 23rd, 2014