Patrick M. Dewar, Vice President, Lockheed Martin VH-71A Presidential Helicopter Program

Program: VH-71A Presidential Helicopter

Scope: 23 aircraft to replace the current “Marine One” fleet that provides helicopter services to the president.

Background: The new presidential helicopter is a variant of AgustaWestland’s EH101 multimission helicopter. The Navy in January awarded a $1.7 billion contract to Lockheed Martin for all research and development, and production of the first five aircraft.

Corporate Structure: Lockheed Martin Systems Integration – Owego is prime contractor and systems integrator for the VH-71A program, which comprises approximately 200 contractors, including AgustaWestland, Bell Helicopter Textron, GE Aircraft Engines and ITT, in 41 states.

Timeline: Initial deployment in fiscal year 2009. The entire fleet is to be delivered by fiscal year 2015.

Who’s in Charge: Pat Dewar, who previously was vice president of business development for Lockheed Martin’s systems integration unit and director of the Hellfire/Longbow missile program. Dewar has 23 years experience in the aerospace industry. His thoughts about recent VH-71A developments and the challenges to come:

“The coming year is a pivotal time for the program. We’ll be focused on test and evaluation, the aircraft flight demonstrations and systems development. The Contractor Test Vehicle, which we use for engine integration and testing, is being evaluated in the high desert environment of California. A second aircraft, Test Vehicle-1 (TV-1), is operating from the Lockheed Martin Systems Integration facility in Owego, N.Y. TV-1 is the first of seven test aircraft, and will be utilized as an avionics equipment and communications gear test bed for the presidential helicopter design.

“A major step for us is the Critical Design Review to take place in December. Our purpose is to finalize the configuration for the five pilot production helicopters to be built in increment one, which will be largely nondevelopmental items (NDIs) based on the EH101.

“Once that is successfully completed, we’ll release designs to the production team and start buying or building hardware for the presidential fleet. These efforts will lead to the construction of the first three new-build test helicopters, which are scheduled for delivery to Owego in early 2007.

“The 18 helicopters to be built in increment two will be fully operational aircraft with more capable GE engines, an upgraded gearbox, tail rotor and primary blades. I believe all of us, including the Department of Defense and the Marine Corps, recognize the uniqueness of this program. Producing the increment one helicopters as NDIs is the only way the schedule could be met. It’s a challenge, and the increment one helicopters will be assets in themselves.

“Our goal is to have superior helicopters flying ‘Marine One’ missions from the White House lawn starting in 2009.”

Defense Industry Notes

The Navy’s next-generation destroyer, the DD(X), has completed a flag-level critical design review, paving the way for beginning the detailed design and construction of the new ship. Naval Sea Systems Command subsequently awarded contracts of $53 million to Northrop Grumman Ship Systems and General Dynamics’ Bath Iron Works for the detailed design work.

BAE Systems has conducted a rate-of-fire test for the 155mm Advanced Gun System (AGS) planned for the DD(X). In tests at the Dugway Proving Ground in Utah, the gun sustained a rate of at least 10 rounds per minute in 8-second bursts, according to Naval Sea Systems Command. The AGS is designed to fire up to 10 precision-guided munitions per minute at ranges up to 83 nautical miles.

Northrop Grumman has been awarded a $124.5 million contract to build 15 AES-1 Airborne Laser Mine-Detection System (ALMDS) pods for the Navy’s MH-60S helicopter. The ALMDS uses a blue-green laser to detect, localize and classify near-surface, moored and floating sea mines.

Bluefin Robotics Corp. of Cambridge, Mass., has been selected by the Navy’s program executive office for littoral and mine warfare to begin development of the Battlespace Preparation Autonomous Undersea Vehicle, intended to provide surveillance and reconnaissance for mine warfare and other missions for the new Littoral Combat Ship. Under a $9.2 million contract, Bluefin will deliver one two-vehicle system by December 2006.

The National Steel and Shipbuilding Co. — a General Dynamics company — has begun construction of the third Lewis and Clark-class dry cargo/ammunition ship, T-AKE 3. The yet-to-be-named ship’s lead sister ship, the Lewis and Clark, is scheduled to be delivered to the Military Sealift Command next year.

The Coast Guard has awarded a $117 million contract to Integrated Coast Guard Systems — a joint venture of Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman — to install mission systems in its six HC-130J maritime patrol aircraft. The modifications, which include new multimode radar, will enable the aircraft to perform maritime surveillance and transport missions with equal ability and replace older HC-130H aircraft in service.

Lockheed Martin has been awarded a $38 million Naval Air Systems Command contract to test and integrate weapons, sensors and other avionics systems into the MH-60R and MH-60S helicopters. The systems to be integrated include an additional station for the Hellfire missile and Mk54 antisubmarine torpedo, a low-light-level television mode for the infrared sensor and a new Global Positioning System receiver and antenna.

Raytheon Space and Airborne Systems has been awarded a $38.8 million Naval Air Systems Command contract to provide 83 AAQ-29A infrared imaging systems for installation on the Marine Corps’ CH-53E Super Stallion transport helicopters. The system is designed to give the helicopters’ pilots enhanced situational awareness and navigation capabilities.

Information Systems Laboratories in San Diego has been selected by the Navy to develop and provide tactical air-deployable sonobuoys. The buoys will be designed to detect and track quiet diesel-electric submarines in a littoral ocean environment.

Barco is launching a new family of rugged tactical displays for defense and security applications. The thin, lightweight, low-power-consumption displays are intended for naval, airborne, vehicle, command post and shelter environments.

The Clovernook Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired in Cincinnati and Memphis, Tenn., is working with International Paper and the Naval Supply Systems Command to develop a new-generation, biodegradable, 16-ounce paper cup that dissolves in sea water. The Navy purchases more than 20 million ocean-friendly paper cups annually from Clovernook.