Cost Nearly Doubles For Marine One Fleet

[RamboLiberal]

Source: Washington Post

A year after Sept. 11, 2001, the White House set out to build a fleet of state-of-the-art Marine One helicopters for the al-Qaeda age that would be safer, more powerful and more reliable than the iconic white-topped aircraft that have landed on the South Lawn for decades.

But the al-Qaeda age has met the military acquisition process. Six years later, the cost of the new helicopters has nearly doubled, production has fallen behind schedule, and the bulk of the program has been put on hold while the government tries to figure out how to salvage it.

The Pentagon confirmed this month that the cost of the fleet of 28 new super-sophisticated helicopters has jumped from $6.1 billion when the contract was signed in 2005 to $11.2 billion today. Outfitted with cutting-edge communications equipment, antimissile defenses and hardened hulls, each of the VH-71 helicopters, to be dubbed Marine One whenever the president is onboard, will cost $400 million -- more than the most recent Boeing 747 jetliner outfitted to serve as Air Force One when it was delivered in 1990, even when adjusted for inflation.

The problems have generated consternation in the White House, Congress and Pentagon as officials attempt to grapple with yet another military hardware purchase that has expanded beyond initial parameters. In this case, though, they face the singular challenge of ensuring that the president is safe from all sorts of theoretical dangers and capable of running the country from midair during a crisis.



Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/16/AR2008031602936.html?hpid=topnews

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[DogPoundPup]

1. Cost of new presidential helicopters spiraling higher

Source: Kansas City Star

In 2002, the White House set out to build a fleet of state-of-the-art Marine One helicopters that would be safer, faster and more reliable than the current iconic aircraft.

Six years later, the cost of the new helicopters has nearly doubled, production has fallen behind schedule and the bulk of the program has been put on hold while the government tries to figure out how to salvage it.

The Pentagon confirmed this month that the cost of the fleet of 28 new super-sophisticated helicopters had jumped from $6.1 billion when the contract was signed in 2005 to $11.2 billion today.

Why the cost has risen so much since the contract was signed with a team led by Lockheed Martin Corp. remains in dispute.


Read more: http://www.kansascity.com/news/politics/story/534310.html

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[gristy]

2. The cost has doubled? Since the contract was signed?

What was the contract printed on? Toilet paper?

[DogPoundPup]

4. Absolutely! Also...

This guy was doing the ordering...

[DemocratInSoCal]

3. We're All Going To Die

Does anybody think we will survive everything?

[IronLionZion]

5. Those bastards at Lockeed Martin hate America so much

they make out like bandits taking our tax dollars for their defense contracts and now they jack up prices for the president's helicopters because their greed is endless.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marine_One

[Supersedeas]

6. nothing to see here -- cronies are everywhere, so no news here

it's military spending and in the al-Caca age, military spending can NEVER EVER be questioned