Lockheed Martin VH-71 Kestrel

Lockheed Martin VH-71 Kestrel program

Company type	Military aerospace program
Industry	Aerospace, defense
Predecessor	AgustaWestland AW101 (EH101)
Founded	2005
Founder	Lockheed Martin, AgustaWestland, Bell Helicopter partnership
Defunct	2009
Fate	Program canceled; helicopters sold to Canada for spare parts
Successor	None
Headquarters	Owego, New York , United States
Area served	United States Marine Corps (intended)
Products	VH-71 Kestrel presidential helicopter (modified AW101)
Owner	Lockheed Martin-led consortium including AgustaWestland and Bell Helicopter
Parent	Lockheed Martin

This article is about the military helicopter. For other uses, see US-101.

The Lockheed Martin VH-71 Kestrel was a modified version of the AgustaWestland AW101 (previously known as the EH101), intended to replace the United States Marine Corps' fleet of Marine One presidential helicopters. Initially promoted under the name US101 in various procurement contests, it was developed and assembled in the United States by a partnership led by Lockheed Martin, which included Lockheed Martin Systems Integration – Owego (LMSI), AgustaWestland, and Bell Helicopter.

In January 2005, the US101 was chosen for the VXX Presidential Helicopter Replacement Program and subsequently redesignated as the VH-71. However, the project encountered significant setbacks including delays, budget overruns, and technical challenges; Lockheed Martin attributed many difficulties to unexpected and extensive government-mandated modifications that were not part of the original request for proposal (RFP). A 2011 report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) also highlighted that inflexibility and a lack of compromise from government stakeholders adversely affected progress. By the end of 2008, cancellation of the VH-71 program appeared increasingly probable.

In February 2009, then-President Barack Obama inquired with Secretary of Defense Robert Gates about suspending or terminating the project due to its excessive expense, which had surpassed $13 billion for an intended fleet of 28 helicopters. The contract was officially canceled by the United States Navy in June 2009 after approximately $4.4 billion had been spent and nine VH-71 units had been delivered. Following termination, these helicopters were sold to Canada for $164 million and repurposed as spare parts sources for its fleet of AgustaWestland CH-149 Cormorant search-and-rescue helicopters.

US101 and VXX competition

Further information: VXX

The AgustaWestland AW101, originally named EH101, was initially developed by EH Industries—a joint venture between British firm Westland Helicopters and Italian manufacturer Agusta. Westland merged with Agusta in 2001 to form AgustaWestland. AgustaWestland was keen on expanding export opportunities for the AW101, including establishing a broad international manufacturing partnership. On 23 July 2002, Lockheed Martin and AgustaWestland announced a decade-long agreement to jointly market, produce, and support a medium-lift helicopter variant based on the AW101 within the U.S. market. This aircraft, designated US101, was projected to be "65% American" in terms of production content. The consortium envisioned three primary roles for this helicopter: combat search and rescue for the United States Air Force, search and rescue missions for the United States Coast Guard, and executive transport for the U.S. Marine Corps.

During early 2002, Lockheed Martin and AgustaWestland sought additional partners for domestic manufacturing of the US101, specifically targeting Bell Helicopters, which was already involved in an EH101 consortium supplying Canada. That year also saw Rolls-Royce Holdings—producer of the EH101's RTM322 engines—pursuing an American partner to manufacture engines domestically; Rolls-Royce aimed to incorporate U.S.-specific technologies into these engines with potential applications including powering the Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk. By August 2002, several U.S. aerospace companies—including Bell, Boeing, and Kaman Aerospace—were reported to be negotiating with the consortium as potential subcontractors responsible for domestic assembly of the US101. Boeing maintained ongoing interest in joining the US101 team as well as exploring alternative arrangements involving production of the NHIndustries NH90 helicopter.

On 15 May 2003, AgustaWestland formalized an agreement with Bell Helicopter to perform final assembly of US101 helicopters within the United States. According to this arrangement, AgustaWestland would manufacture key components such as main rotor blades and fuselage sections at its headquarters in Yeovil, UK; additional parts including gearboxes would be produced at its Cascina Costa facility in Italy, accounting for approximately 36% of total workshare. The remaining production responsibilities were divided between Lockheed Martin (31%), Bell Helicopter (27%), and other subcontractors (6%).

Beginning in February 2002, the US Marine Corps initiated a study aimed at identifying successor rotorcraft to replace its aging fleet of presidential transport helicopters comprised of Sikorsky VH-3D Sea Kings. On 18 December 2003, the United States Department of Defense issued a formal Request for Proposals (RFP) seeking delivery of twenty-three helicopters to supplant eleven VH-3Ds and eight VH-60Ns operated by Marine Corps' HMX-1 squadron responsible for presidential transport duties; this initiative was designated as VXX or Presidential Helicopter Replacement Program. The competition attracted proposals from AgustaWestland and Sikorsky Aircraft; although there was interest in a possible bid based on the tiltrotor Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey platform, it was deemed unsuitable due to lack of military airlift transportability.

Sikorsky proposed a variant named VH-92 based on its S-92 Superhawk model in collaboration with FlightSafety International, L-3 Communications, Northrop Grumman, Rockwell Collins, Vought Aircraft Industries, and GE Aviation. During campaign debates Sikorsky criticized US101's foreign origins; notably in December 2004 Sikorsky’s VXX program manager Nick Lappos disparaged it by stating: ""What is a socialist country and a socialist company going to teach us about competition?" Although selection was initially anticipated in April 2004, officials deferred their decision by eight months to allow further evaluation.

On January 28th, 2005, DoD announced that it had chosen the US101 as winner. Analysts suggested that having three engines rather than two—as featured on rival VH-92—may have influenced this decision. John Young—the Navy’s assistant secretary for acquisition technology and logistics—commented on this choice: "The Lockheed team probably started with a helicopter that needed less modification; they more closely met our requirements which allowed them to propose fewer tasks before delivery." Following this award, a $1.7 billion contract was granted to develop and demonstrate system capabilities. In July that year,the aircraft received its military designation as VH‑71 Kestrel.

Program challenges and postponements

File:VH-71 testing near the Lockheed facility in Owego, NY.jpg

An AW101 undergoing VH-71 testing near the Lockheed facility in Owego, New York

The development of the VH-71 encountered numerous setbacks and technical difficulties. By 2007, expenses related to design and modifications had surged by 40%, reaching $2.4 billion, surpassing the $4.2 billion anticipated for producing the entire fleet. By March 2008, projections indicated that total program costs would escalate to approximately $11.2 billion, equating to around $400 million per individual helicopter.

During discussions concerning the CSAR-X program—where the EH101 was LMSI’s contender—the Air Force Source Selection Authority (SSA) described LMSI’s performance as "unsatisfactory." A March 2007 Government Accountability Office (GAO) report, which upheld protests from Sikorsky and Lockheed against Boeing’s HH-47, noted that LMSI received a low confidence rating for past performance due to deficiencies under its current VH-71 Presidential helicopter contract, considered highly pertinent to this procurement. The SSA highlighted LMSI’s inability to consistently meet critical schedule milestones and difficulties in managing systems engineering requirements with subcontractors. Lockheed attributed cost overruns to government demands for extensive modifications not foreseen in the original request for proposals. A 2011 GAO review concluded that the VH-71 program lacked sufficient flexibility and was constrained by customer-imposed trade-offs.

In December 2007, Pentagon officials convened with the White House Military Office to evaluate the program’s future amid setbacks, budget overruns, and design complications. Although Defense Department leadership favored terminating the VH-71, the White House vetoed cancellation, placing the project on hold while alternatives were explored. By July 2008, plans aimed for the VH-71A (Increment 1) to achieve operational capability by 2010, with the subsequent VH-71B (Increment 2) expected to enter service starting in 2017.

Following a change in administration in October 2008, John Young, Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics, identified the VH-71 as a prime candidate for budget cuts. This upward cost trajectory conflicted with President Barack Obama’s fiscal restraint policies; during a February 2009 White House event, Obama criticized procurement practices as having "gone amok," emphasizing his satisfaction with the current presidential helicopter. By March 2009, estimates placed total expenditure for 28 VH-71 units at over $13 billion. The Defense Secretary’s proposed budget released on April 6, 2009 omitted funding for the VH-71 program. Subsequently, on June 1, 2009, the U.S. Navy formally canceled the contract and redirected remaining funds toward upgrading existing VH-3D and VH-60N helicopters. At cancellation, nine VH-71s had been completed.

The termination sparked concerns regarding its repercussions on future acquisition deals involving European firms; observers warned that such procurement failures might deter international partnerships. Around March 2009, a group of legislators advocated for continuation of a modified VH-71 initiative through a letter urging presidential support. Later that year, on July 22, the House Appropriations Committee approved $485 million to bring five VH-71As into operational status.

Options and restructuring

The Congressional Research Service (CRS) assessed that halting VH-71 production, enhancing the current helicopter fleet, and subsequently launching a replacement program would incur costs ranging from $14 billion to $21 billion. Reports indicated that a new helicopter fleet would not be operational until 2024, by which time the existing helicopters would have been in service for over five decades. Additionally, canceling the ongoing program would result in a loss exceeding $3 billion due to unrecoverable VH-71 expenditures. After the President decided to terminate the program, numerous legislators, policy institutes, and media sources publicly argued that it would be more economical and expedient to proceed with a modified version of the VH-71 initiative.

In 2009, the CRS outlined four potential courses of action: The first option involved continuing the VH-71 program including both Increment I and II models, with an estimated additional cost of $10 billion and an anticipated service entry in 2019. The second option proposed restructuring to produce 23 Increment I helicopters at an added expense of $6.4 billion, becoming operational by 2012. The third option was a further scaled restructure to deliver 19 Increment I aircraft as replacements for the current fleet, costing approximately $5.6 billion extra and also entering service by 2012. The final alternative considered upgrading and extending the life span of the existing fleet for $1.4 billion; however, this approach would fail to meet future presidential helicopter requirements and necessitate earlier replacement.

Beyond new procurement expenses, industry representatives warned that merely prolonging the current fleet's operational life poses significant risks due to increased maintenance costs and reduced security. Bipartisan lawmakers such as Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Representative Roscoe Bartlett (R-MD) have voiced strong criticism toward the Pentagon's handling of the issue—Bartlett notably remarked that discussions occurred outside established partnerships, expressing regret over this approach. Loren Thompson from the Lexington Institute commented that he believes the VH-71 story is not concluded, noting Secretary Gates had not convincingly justified program termination and highlighting the absence of an alternative helicopter capable of fulfilling range and payload demands while landing on the White House lawn.

On 19 December 2009, President Obama approved a joint Defense Appropriations Bill for FY 2010, allocating $130 million for Marine One: $100 million aimed at recovering technologies developed under the VH-71 Kestrel program, and $30 million designated for initial Navy studies on a new VH-XX initiative. In February 2010, the Navy issued a request for information to aviation manufacturers. By April 2010, Lockheed Martin announced a partnership with Sikorsky to offer the Sikorsky S-92 as an alternative to the VH-71. Subsequently, in June 2010, Boeing revealed consideration of a U.S.-manufactured licensed version of the AgustaWestland AW101 for the renewed VXX program alongside potential options including the Bell-Boeing V-22 Osprey and Boeing CH-47 Chinook.

In June 2011, Canada acquired nine VH-71 helicopters for $164 million to serve as spare parts for its fleet of AgustaWestland CH-149 Cormorant search and rescue helicopters, which are also based on the AW101 platform. These transferred VH-71s had sensitive components removed; seven remained airworthy at that time. By 2013, Canadian media reported investigations into certifying up to four of these helicopters for active use, with manufacturer AgustaWestland openly supporting efforts to refurbish them. On 8 August 2018, it was announced that Leonardo S.p.A. was undertaking modifications to convert seven airworthy VH-71s into fully mission-capable CH-149s.

Testing

File:VH-71 test 1.jpg

A VH-71 prototype at Marine Corps Air Facility Quantico, October 2005

The inaugural flight of the VH-71A test model, designated Test Vehicle #2 (TV-2), occurred on 3 July 2007 at AgustaWestland’s facility located in Yeovil, UK. In parallel, Lockheed Martin conducted initial evaluations in the United States using an EH101 labeled TV-1; these assessments notably included landings on the White House lawn.

The first production variant, Pilot Production #1 (PP-1), completed its maiden flight on 22 September 2008 departing from Yeovil. Subsequently, the US Air Force transported this helicopter aboard a C-17 Globemaster III to Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland, where it underwent additional testing. The production VH-71 was integrated into the test program at NAS Patuxent River and commenced ground tests in early December 2008.

Variants

VH-71A

The initial series of VH-71 helicopters, known as Increment One within the presidential helicopter replacement initiative, developed to address an urgent requirement for new aircraft.

VH-71B

Increment Two was planned to deliver 23 operational helicopters featuring extended range capabilities and enhanced navigation and communication systems designed to satisfy White House demands for government continuity and to support presidential duties.

Other competitions

The US101 also vied for two additional USAF contracts: the Combat Search and Rescue Replacement (CSAR-X) program involving 141 aircraft—originally awarded to Boeing’s HH-47 on 10 November 2006 but currently under a renewed procurement process—and the Common Vertical Lift Support Program (CVLSP), which called for 70 aircraft.

Operators

Template:Country data United States of America

• United States Marine Corps (planned)
  • Fleet of HMX-1 designated as Marine One

Specifications (VH-71)

Specifications marked with an asterisk (*) pertain exclusively to the VH-71 model. All other data correspond to the AW101.

References

Citations

Bibliography

• Gertler, Jeremiah. "VH-71/VXX Presidential Helicopter Program: Background and Issues for Congress", RS22103. Congressional Research Service, 22 December 2009.

External links

• VH-71 Kestrel / Marine One page on GlobalSecurity.org
• "Trouble On The Takeoff" Newsweek, 26 November 2007.
• "Trouble On Air Obama". New York Times, 14 May 2009.