Lockheed Martin Sikorsky helicopter built in Tioga County joins presidential fleet

OWEGO, N.Y. — The U.S. Marine Corps formally accepted a 23rd and final next-generation VH-92A presidential helicopter built by Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) company in a recent ceremony at the company’s Owego plant.

The company’s aircraft have flown every president since 1957.

“The most recognizable helicopter in the world — made in Tioga County, New York, by the Southern Tier’s powerhouse workforce at Lockheed Martin — is officially on its way,” U.S. Sen. Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) said in a news release. “The presidential helicopter program is key to our national defense and the protection of our president and top government officials, and now the world-class workers at Lockheed Martin Owego have completed the delivery of the 23rd and final VH-92A in the presidential helicopter fleet.”

The delivery demonstrates the success of the program to design, build, and deliver under budget and within the planned delivery schedule. The helicopter will transport the U.S. president and vice president, as well as other officials.

“Once again, Sikorsky’s highly skilled employees have shown their ability to innovate, manufacture, and delivery these next-generation VH-92A presidential helicopters that will be operating worldwide in support of presidential missions well into the future,” Sikorsky VP and General Manager Richard Benton said in a release. “This milestone is a credit to our valued and long-lasting partnership with the Marine Corps as we provide a highly tailored solution for the Marine Corps’ unique, critical mission.”

The VH-92A program ensures long-term affordability by utilizing the FAA-certified Sikorsky S-92 aircraft, which was modified at Sikorsky facilities in Owego and Stratford, Connecticut for the VH-92A mission based on government-defined requirements.

“The VH-92A is vital to national security and a mainstay of the Southern Tier economy,” Schumer said. “That’s why I’m proud to have fought for and led the effort to secure critical federal investments year after year to keep Owego’s Lockheed Martin workforce doing what they do best: making the most sophisticated and secure helicopters in the world, while keeping our military service members and government officials safe and keeping these critical jobs in the Southern Tier. Every time the president of the United States takes off in one of these helicopters, everyone in the Southern Tier can smile knowing it was their community that made it happen.”

Lockheed Martin — a Bethesda, Maryland–based global defense-technology company — has two plants in Central New York, in Salina and in Owego, respectively.