Foreign, U.S. companies vie to build US presidential copters

Posted on: Jul. 12th, 2004 || Source: thestate.com | E-mail Article | Print Article

Perhaps no helicopter symbolizes presidential power more than Marine One as it lifts off the White House lawn. Now, the competition to build the next fleet of presidential helicopters has become a bare-knuckles brawl that pits a flag-waving domestic maker against an international team hoping to be rewarded for supporting the United States in Iraq.

One bidding team is led by the Lockheed Martin Corp., the nation’s largest military contractor, which has lined up European partners and a lobbying juggernaut that includes Prime Minister Tony Blair of Britain and his Italian counterpart, Silvio Berlusconi — two of Washington’s staunchest allies in Iraq.

Read the full article

• Boeing's C-130 AMP Flight Marks Completion of Software Development
• Navy UCAS Demonstrator On Track for First Flight
• Lockheed Demonstrates Intelligent Autonomous Control of Multiple UAVs
• Russian Navy aircraft test new equipment over the Arctic
• Russia may push forward with S-300 sales to Iran
• Boeing, US Navy Offer Super Hornet for Denmark Fighter Competition
• Boeing Awarded US Army Contract for 191 CH-47F Chinook Helicopters
• The Netherlands shows interest in Gripen
• 4th F-35 Lightning II Rolls Out As Production Line Fills Up At Lockheed
• Lockheed Martin C-5m Super Galaxy Completes Flight Test
• Air Guard Predator pilots increase combat air patrols
• Predator passes 400,000 hours
• Future Predator/Reaper Formal Training Unit announced
• Saab/Gripen team completes Hungarian offset contract
• South African Gripen deliveries on track