Lockheed Martin, Sikorsky Aircraft Compete for Presidential Marine One Bid by Alan B. Nichols In mid-December, Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. and Lockheed Martin expect to hear from the U.S. Navy as to which company will be awarded a multibillion-dollar contract to build the next generation fleet of presidential helicopters, known as Marine One. Like two determined heavyweights, these giant aerospace contractors are slugging it out, each seeking to gain an advantage over the other with their various claims of superiority. The prize at the end of the fight is huge. In addition to the significant financial enrichment associated with it, the contract would mean immense prestige for either firm in the lucrative military contracting market. With the bout now in the 14th round, the winner is going to prevail not by knockout but by points, or rather the merits of each firmís capability. Each company has thrown verbal punches and counter punches, accentuating the advantages of its respective product. In particular, the issue of international competition and outsourcing has emerged as a major campaigning point, with Sikorsky touting its product as the ìall-American presidential h elicopterî built by ìAmerican hands.î The company says that Lockheed Martinówhose main subcontractor for the project is AgustaWestland, a British-Italian company responsible for the design of Lockheedís bidówould rely on an international team to build an icon of American power. In turn, Lockheed Martin has countered Sikorskyís punches with its own claims, pointing out that 90 percent of the money to build its helicopter would go to American companies. It also noted that the AgustaWestland helicopter has been battle-tested, and that United Technologies Corp., Sikorskyís parent company, has far more employees based overseas than does Lockheed Martin (although Lockheed has also expressed support for rewarding international allies such as the United Kingdom and Italy for their help with the war on terrorism). In fact, the debate became so heated that the Navy and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld chose to delay the Marine One decision until after the November election. But the rhetorical thrust-and-parry campaign aside, the final decision, as one observer put it, will ultimately turn on which company can produce the best helicopter for the commander in chief. In one corner is Bethesda, Md.-based Lockheed Martin Corp., by far the largest U.S. aerospace company and military contractor to the U.S. Department of Defense. Its history as a provider of fighter jets, command-and-control systems for all military aircraft, and platforms for many other air and ground weapons systems goes back 50 years. Lockheed is widely recognized as the leading manufacturer of military aircraft avionics, electronics and communications systems, and it has a matchless record in systems integration on many U.S. weapons platforms. Lockheed Martin leads ìTeam US101î with principal subcontractors AgustaWestland and Bell Helicopter Textron. The team is offering its US101, an American variant of AgustaWestlandís highly successful EH101 helicopter. The three-engine US101 will be built in Amarillo, Texas, by Bell and integrated with electronics and mission systems by Lockheed in Owego, N.Y. In the other corner is Stratford, Conn.-based Sikorsky, which has been flying nearly every U.S. president since Dwight D. Eisenhower. Named after company founder Igor Sikorsky, a young Russian-American aerospace engineer who devised the first practical helicopter prototype in 1939, Sikorsky Aircraft is the principal helicopter manufacturer in the United States. In addition to the current Marine One fleet, it produces medium- and heavy-lift helicopters for every branch of the military, including the Navyís Sea Hawk, the Armyís Black Hawk and the CH-53E used by the Marine Corps. Sikorskyís candidate in the Marine One sweepstakes is the VH-92, the latest in the companyís long product line. Recently, the company delivered the first S-92, the civilian version of the VH-92, to an offshore operator. In July, Canadaís military selected Sikorsky to provide 28 H-92 Cyclones to perform a wide variety of ship-borne and airborne missions. Each company is touting its Marine One product on the basis of safety, maintenance and security, as well as its capability to provide a complete command-and-control center for the president, a virtual Oval Office in the sky. Although some news sources have indicated that the current Marine One fleet has experienced maintenance and safety problems, Sikorsky has, in fact, had an exemplary safety record, according to a Navy spokesman who said the current Marine One fleet has lived out its life cycle and that it is simply time to modernize it. Sikorsky Program Director Nick Lappos said, ìThe VH-92 is not just to fly the president, but it represents the first of a new generation of medium-lift helicopters for the U.S. military.î He added that the VH-92 meets the highest standards for safety and security, and reinforced Sikorskyís ìall-Americanî argument, pointing out that virtually all of the helicopterís componentsófrom the transmission and rotor blades to the sophisticated navigation and communications systemsówill be made in the United States by American workers, most of whom have top-secret security clearance. Noting that any helicopter serving a U.S. president must meet top security requirements and that ìcore vital components of the US101 will be made overseas,î Lappos asked, ìHow do you get top secret clearance for a guy making rotor blades overseas? Is the product manufactured and maintained in an environment that assures the safety and security of the president?î Various components of the two-engine VH-92 are being outsourced to large, prominent U.S. companies. Dallas-based Vought Aircraft Industries is producing the airframe, L3 Communications in Texas is producing all of the vehicleís communications systems, and Rockwell Collins is manufacturing the cockpit. Other components have been outsourced to Northrop Grumman. These suppliers, Lappos stressed, all make components for aircraft currently in the presidential fleet, including Air Force One. The rotor blades and transmission are being made at Sikorskyís main manufacturing facility in Stratford, where the helicopter is being assembled. Citing weaknesses in the US101, Lappos contends that a three-engine design adds unnecessary weight to the helicopter, a factor that poses a potential safety hazard in the event of an emergency or attack. ìLockheedís design,î Lappos said, ìactually wraps around the controls, and if one of those engines were to burst, it would cause a major safety problem.î As for the relative size of the two helicopters, Lappos said, ìThe VH-92 is about 15 percent smaller than the EH101, but it is 29 percent larger than the current fleet. Furthermore, the configuration of the cabin offers ample room for the president and his staff and for all the communications equipment that will be necessary for the commander and chief to carry out his duties while en route to anywhere in the world.î In further support of his argument that Sikorskyís product is the safest helicopter in the world, Lappos pointed out that in 2002, Sikorsky received the Collier Trophy for its S-92 after its certification was completed. The helicopter, he noted, was cited as the most significant aerospace achievement of the year. Moreover, in answer to critics who contend that Sikorsky is not able to meet the presidential helicopters demanding production schedule, the director said, ìWe are ready to deliver.î Lapposís counterpart at Lockheed is Steve Ramsey, vice president and general manager of the US101 program. He said Lockheed Martin has been in the helicopter business for some 30 years and is a leading provider of helicopter cockpits and mission equipment. In the 1970s, according to Ramsey, the Navy selected Lockheed Martin to integrate the weapons and electronics systems for its Sikorsky-made airframes. In addition, the company has been the prime contractor for the British Navyís EH101 Merlin helicopter fleet for 13 years. Regarding Lockheed Martinís Marine One competitor, Ramsey said, ìSikorskyís weakness [with its VH-92] is that they donít have us to integrate their systems.î Although Lappos contends that the US101 is a ìretreaded design of a 1980s helicopter,î Ramsey argues that only one civilian-model S-92 has been delivered to date, while 95 variants of the US101 are flying in military roles in the United Kingdom, Canada, Italy and Japan. Denmark and Portugal are also about to take delivery of the aircraft, which Ramsey stresses has proven itself in combat zones, such as Iraq and Bosnia. ìHere is why weíre going to win the Marine One contract. We are battle-proven,î Ramsey explained. ìThe 95 variants of the US101 flying today have collectively flown 50,000 hours, whil e Sikorskyís S-92 prototypes have only 2,000 flight hours. Consequently, we are ready now to deliver a fully certified aircraft to the president. Secondly, our cabin is one-third larger and, significantly, it is one-and-a-half feet wider. The additional space will allow the president to conduct in real time all of the business he would conduct were he in his office on the ground. This includes video conferencing and conferring with heads of state anywhere in the world instantaneously.î The third advantage of the US101, according to Ramsey, is that ìin the post-9/11 environment, our third engine does provide an additional margin of safety. If you lose an engine, our helicopter can still fly to a secure landing site. A two-engine helicopter would be forced to land immediately.î On the security issue, Ramsey said Sikorsky has taken out newspaper ads that ask, ìShouldnít the presidentís helicopter be all-American?î The Lockheed vice president and general manager countered, ìThatís the wrong question. The right question is, ëWhich is the best helicopter for the president?í The issue of all-American is diversionary and inaccurate. The VH-92 wonít be 100 percent American. Some components will be foreign-made. ìThe US101 will be made in the U.S. by Americans,î Ramsey continued. ìWe are the prime contractor, and we have some 200 suppliers from 41 states. We are very confident we are going to meet all of the Navyís security requirements. All of the data packages, drawings and other documentation associated with the US101 will reside in the U.S.î In conclusion, Ramsey said, ìLockheed Martin builds a superior product from the vantage point of every parameter of the aircraft, notably and especially in its technical features.î In short, he added, ìOur integration expertise is unparalleled.î Alan B. Nichols is a contributing writer for The Washington Diplomat.