The first production VH-71 US presidential replacement helicopter has arrived at Naval Air Station Patuxent River by U.S. Air Force C-17 cargo plane from helicopter manufacturer AgustaWestland. The helicopter, called pilot production one (PP-1), will undergo two months of ground vibration testing before flying to prime contractor Lockheed Martin Systems Integration in Owego, NY, for installation of the mission systems, communications suite, and presidential interior and exterior livery.

“It’s the fifth VH-71 helicopter to join the program, and a significant milestone because it’s the first of five pilot production aircraft to begin testing. These pilot production aircraft will be delivered to the HMX-1 squadron after completion of a comprehensive test program” said Jeff Bantle, Lockheed Martin VH-71 vice president and general manager.

“PP-1′s performance was superb during the initial test and evaluation with 11.3 hours of ground runs and 6.6 flight hours, and we look forward to the VH-71 entering service” said Stephen C. Moss, chief executive officer of AgustaWestland North America.

Four test aircraft are already part of the VH-71 presidential helicopter program’s first phase, or Increment One. Two of these test helicopters are in flight testing with an integrated test team, made up of Navy, Marine Corps and industry pilots, while the other two are being integrated with mission systems. Four more pilot production helicopters are expected to arrive over the next six months.

Lockheed Martin has attained full function capability in all the systems integration laboratories that support the VH-71 presidential helicopter program, after completing the Master Systems Bench (MSB) located at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, MD. The NAS Patuxent River MSB, part of the Systems Integration Laboratory, contains all of the aircraft avionic systems installed in a full-scale VH-71A cockpit and rear cabin, with out-the-window visual displays and aircraft simulation allowing full mission scenarios to be “flown” while on the ground. This enables the flight test pilots and engineers to conduct valuable training, perform system analysis and debug problems on the ground.

The aircraft-like MSB complements the avionics-based Systems Integration Bench at the same location completed in February. An identical Systems Integration Laboratory at Lockheed Martin in Owego, NY, allows avionics engineers there to develop and test the next version of software used in the helicopter’s mission and communications systems.

The advanced communications system of the presidential communications suite allows secure and non-secure communications between the helicopter and personnel at locations such as the White House, the Pentagon and other ground and mobile platforms.

Lockheed Martin Systems Integration-Owego is the prime contractor and systems integrator for the VH-71 program with overall responsibility for the program and aircraft system. AgustaWestland, the principal subcontractor, has responsibility for the basic air vehicle design, production build, and basic air vehicle support functions. Lockheed Martin and AgustaWestland have partnered for more than 17 years with a worldwide record of excellence dating back to the Royal Navy’s EH101 Merlin Mk1 program.