VH-92A Patriot Flies As Marine One For The First Time | Aviation

U.S. President Joe Biden has used the Sikorsky VH-92A Patriot as Marine One for the first time, just after the last of 23 VH-92A airframes were delivered to the U.S. Marine Corps.

Sikorsky’s VH-92A Patriot helicopter, based on the Sikorsky S-92 platform, has had a long and somewhat troubled entry to service with Marine Helicopter Squadron One, commonly known as HMX-1. The long awaited replacement for the venerable Sikorsky VH-3D Sea Kings and VH-60N White Hawks first flew in 2017 and were first seen on trial flights at the White House in 2018.

Initial Operating Capability (IOC) for the VH-92A was declared in December 2021, though a series of reports detailed continuing issues with the aircraft which restricted its deployment in the VIP transport role. Concerns over the aircraft’s availability, maintenance requirements, and reliability in emergency situations delayed the full entry to service. The VH-92A was also noted to have caused scorch marks on the White House lawn and other grass landing sites, restricting most of the helicopter’s operations to paved surfaces.

While it is not known whether all issues have been rectified completely, it is clear that the…