In addition to a new $100 million improvement to the Marine One helicopters, Trump’s new “Air Force One” must undergo upgrades to improve its aerial defenses.

The unique aircraft that transport President Donald Trump share one thing in common: all are extraordinarily expensive to purchase and maintain, due in large part to the security required. Regardless of its size, each aircraft needs to serve as a secure, airborne mobile command center, which depends on advanced security systems, unhackable military communications, and specialized engineering built for what is actually a small production fleet.

Much of the emphasis of late has been on the cost of the largest and newest of the aircraft, the VC-25Bs—the military designation of the two Boeing 747s that will serve as “Air Force One” upon their completion circa 2028. However, the US Navy also confirmed that it would spend more than $100 million to upgrade the rotor blades for the VH-92A presidential helicopter, which has the callsign “Marine One” when the president is onboard.

Lockheed Martin subsidiary Sikorsky, the original manufacturer of the militarized version of the commercial S-92 rotary-wing aircraft, was awarded a new contract valued at more than $107 million late on Friday afternoon. Work on the upgrade will continue through March 2031 on the new rotor blades, and that is just part of the efforts underway to improve the aircraft’s performance.

Currently, 21 of the helicopters are in service, with the final model delivered in August 2024. That same month, former President Joe Biden first flew on a VH-92 from Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport to Soldier Field during the Democratic National Convention. Two more helicopters are used as dedicated test airframes. All are operated by Marine Helicopter Squadron One (HMX-1) at Marine Base Quantico, Virginia.

Marine One Was Already Due for Major Upgrades

Now just two years after formally entering service, the helicopters are set to undergo an upgrade and receive new main rotor blades.

The new blades were developed to increase the aircraft’s power margin, “meaning the buffer of extra lifting power available beyond what the helicopter needs for routine flight, giving pilots more capability to handle heavier loads, hotter weather, higher altitudes, or emergency situations without pushing the aircraft to its absolute performance limit,” the Defence Blog explained—adding that the entire program has reached nearly $5 billion.

Just a year ago, Sikorsky was issued another contract valued at $16 million in support of the Power Margin Increment Two program.

The upgrades almost seem counterintuitive, as the VH-92A Patriot’s twin GE CT7-8A turboshaft engines produce significant heat and strong rotor wash onto the ground. During testing, the intense exhaust even scorched the grass on the White House South Lawn, which has led the Trump administration to install a permanent helipad on the lawn.

Trump said that the project, which will be completed by the end of September, will cost roughly $6 million, with Sikorsky Aircraft paying for the work by directly donating funds to the National Park Service. In explaining its contribution to the project, Lockheed Martin announced that it had a long history of supporting projects in DC “in full accordance with all applicable laws and regulations.” And $6 million is essentially a rounding error to the contractor, which benefits from good publicity and increased functionality for its helicopter.

Until the new helipad is completed, the VH-92A helicopters have been landing on the Ellipse, the public park just south of the White House. That had forced the president to take a motorcade from the White House to the nearby park.

The Donated Qatari 747 Is Costing Taxpayers More Than Expected

Last month, Trump acknowledged that the 747-8i that was “donated” to the United States by the government of Qatar would need to undergo additional work to be “maxed out,” sidelining the aircraft for at least a month. Trump, who praised the luxury of the plane, flew it to the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, in July, only to return on one of the older and far less opulent VC-25A aircraft that first entered service.

Trump initially downplayed the reason for the downgrade, even suggesting the new aircraft was being flown to a United States Air Force base in the UK to show it to the troops. It was later revealed that the Secret Service expressed security concerns ahead of Trump’s departure from Ankara, and more accurately the lack of adequate air defenses on the bridge airplane that will carry Trump throughout the remainder of his term.

The “new” aircraft will need additional security upgrades before it returns to service. It is actually no surprise that the Qatari aircraft wasn’t quite up to snuff, The New York Times reported last month. The paper of record highlighted that Trump’s push to have the aircraft enter service resulted in security trade-offs and ballooning costs. The United States Air Force paid $400 million on the initial upgrades; it is unclear how much the additional security enhancements will cost, but the enhancements can only further balloon the final price.

The timeline has yet to be finalized, but the donated aircraft may be sidelined for several months. In the meantime, the president will need to rely on the older VC-25As, which first entered service in 1990, during President George H.W. Bush’s single term in office.

Boeing has stated that it remains on track to deliver the two new VC-25B aircraft, ordered during Trump’s first term, by the end of 2028. The good news is that the aerospace firm’s fixed-price contract means that even as costs have risen, it will be the aerospace firm’s problem, not US taxpayers’. As of last month, the company had a $280 million charge on the program. Even if that won’t be a burden for the American people, it is a reminder of the high costs to carry the president.

About the Author: Peter Suciu

Peter Suciu has contributed to dozens of newspapers, magazines and websites over a 30-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a contributing writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. He is based in Michigan. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: Editor@nationalinterest.org.

The post Trump’s Presidential Aircraft Are Ruinously Expensive appeared first on The National Interest.