Marine One: The President's Helicopter in 2026

Marine One is the call sign of any US Marine Corps aircraft carrying the president of the United States. It is not one helicopter: in September 2026 three Sikorsky types can carry the name, the VH-3D Sea King, the VH-60N White Hawk and the new VH-92A Patriot, all flown by Marine Helicopter Squadron One (HMX-1).

The fleet is in the middle of a handover. The VH-92A flew its first presidential mission in August 2024, the VH-3D is due to retire after 2026, and the VH-60N is planned to serve until about 2030.

What finally lets the new helicopter take over is a granite helipad on the White House South Lawn, due for completion on September 17, 2026. Below: every Marine One type compared, how fast and far they fly, how they get overseas, why several identical helicopters show up for one passenger, and the August 2026 incident at Reagan National.

Helicopter	Based on	Presidential service from	Passenger seats	Status (September 2026)
VH-3D Sea King	Sikorsky SH-3 Sea King	Late 1970s	14	Retiring after 2026
VH-60N White Hawk	Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk	Late 1980s	11	Planned to serve until about 2030
VH-92A Patriot	Sikorsky S-92	August 2024	14	Taking over; HMX-1 fleet to grow to 16

Marine One helicopter types as of September 2026. Seats from the George W. Bush Presidential Library and Wikipedia; retirement plans from Marine Corps aviation planning as reported by TWZ and FlightGlobal.

Marine One is a call sign, not an aircraft

Any Marine Corps aircraft becomes Marine One the moment the president boards, and drops the name when the president gets off. With the vice president aboard alone, the call sign is Marine Two. Until 1976 the Army shared the job, and its presidential flights used the call sign Army One.

What kind of helicopter is Marine One?

Three types share the mission in 2026, and all three are Sikorsky designs. Each is a heavily modified version of an existing military or civil helicopter rather than an aircraft built from scratch for the president.

VH-92A Patriot: the new Marine One

The VH-92A is a militarized version of the civil Sikorsky S-92. The Navy awarded the contract in May 2014, the first aircraft flew on July 28, 2017, and the type reached initial operational capability on December 28, 2021.

Sikorsky delivered the 23rd and final VH-92A in August 2024: 21 for the operational fleet and two for testing. On August 19, 2024, it flew as Marine One for the first time, carrying President Joe Biden from Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport to Soldier Field on his way to the Democratic National Convention.

It is larger than the helicopters it replaces. It seats 14 passengers with a crew of four and is powered by two General Electric CT7-8A turboshafts of 2,520 shaft horsepower each.

Specification	VH-92A Patriot
Crew	4 (pilot, co-pilot, communications operator, crew chief)
Passengers	14
Length	56 ft 2 in (17.12 m)
Main rotor diameter	56 ft 4 in (17.17 m)
Maximum takeoff weight	27,700 lb (12,565 kg)
Engines	2 × GE CT7-8A turboshaft, 2,520 shp each
Maximum speed	190 mph (306 km/h), 165 knots
Cruise speed	174 mph (280 km/h), 151 knots
Range	620 miles (998 km), 539 nautical miles
Service ceiling	14,000 ft (4,300 m)

Published VH-92A figures, which track the civil Sikorsky S-92 the type is derived from. Source: Wikipedia, September 2026.

VH-3D Sea King: the veteran

The VH-3D is an executive version of the Sikorsky SH-3 Sea King, an anti-submarine helicopter adapted for VIP work. It joined the presidential fleet in the late 1970s, replacing the VH-3A Sea Kings that had carried presidents since the 1960s.

With 14 passenger seats, it is the roomier of the two legacy types, and it is still flying. A VH-3D carried President Trump on the August 4, 2026 departure that the NTSB is now investigating.

The VH-3D Sea King has flown as Marine One since the late 1970s and is due to retire after 2026.

Marine Corps planning has the VH-3D serving through 2026. The new South Lawn helipad is what allows it to retire, because it lets the VH-92A handle departures from the White House itself.

VH-60N White Hawk: the one that stays

The VH-60N White Hawk is the presidential version of the Sikorsky Black Hawk. It entered presidential service in the late 1980s and seats 11 passengers, making it the smallest of the three.

Sikorsky VH 60N White Hawk — The VH-60N White Hawk, the presidential Black Hawk, is planned to serve until about 2030. – © Eric Denison

Its size is an advantage. The helicopter folds to fit inside an Air Force transport jet, and the Marine Corps values its performance in hot, high-altitude conditions, which is why it plans to keep the type until about 2030.

Why replacing Marine One took 20 years

The first attempt failed. In January 2005 the Navy picked Lockheed Martin to build 28 VH-71 helicopters, but by March 2008 the program’s projected cost had grown from $6 billion to $11 billion, about $400 million per helicopter.

The VH-71 was canceled in June 2009. The Navy restarted the competition and in May 2014 awarded Sikorsky a $1.24 billion contract for the first six VH-92s.

Then came the lawn. Exhaust from the VH-92A’s engines and auxiliary power unit scorched the grass on the South Lawn and other landing sites, which restricted most of its operations to paved surfaces. Early problems with its encrypted communications added to the delay.

The fix: a granite helipad on the South Lawn

Construction of a helipad on the White House South Lawn began in early July 2026. It is made of 4-inch-thick (10 cm) Californian granite inlaid with the presidential seal and costs roughly $5 million to $6 million. President Trump said Sikorsky is paying for it, and private donations have also been reported. It was due for completion on September 17, 2026, a week before Chinese President Xi Jinping’s scheduled visit.

Until now, helicopter trips to and from the White House itself were still handled mainly by the VH-3D and VH-60N. Once the pad is in use, the VH-92A can take on that job too.

How fast and how far can Marine One fly?

The VH-92A has a maximum speed of 190 mph (306 km/h), or 165 knots, and cruises at 174 mph (280 km/h). Its published range is 620 miles (998 km), which is 539 nautical miles.

In practice, Marine One flights are short. Its core jobs are the hop between the White House and Joint Base Andrews, where the Air Force crews who fly Air Force One wait, trips to Camp David, and local legs during presidential travel.

No Marine One helicopter can cross an ocean under its own power. A range of a few hundred miles covers any trip around Washington, but not a transatlantic crossing, so the helicopters travel by cargo plane.

How does Marine One get overseas?

Marine One rides inside Air Force transport jets. The helicopters are flown in a C-17 Globemaster III or a C-5 Galaxy wherever the president travels, in the United States and abroad.

The VH-60N folds for that ride. The larger VH-92A needs its main rotor blades removed, and the C-17 has to carry a minimal fuel load during loading so the helicopter clears the rear ramp.

This video shows a C-17 unloading a VH-60N White Hawk at Prestwick Airport in Scotland.

Does Marine One fly alone?

Almost never. Marine One flies in a group of identical helicopters, sometimes as many as five, and only one of them carries the president.

The others are decoys for anyone watching from the ground. The helicopters shift formation regularly in flight to hide which one the president is on.

Sikorsky VH 60N White Hawk Marine One at CPAC 2017 — A VH-60N White Hawk flying as Marine One at CPAC in 2017. – © Michael Vadon

All-green MV-22 Osprey tiltrotors, nicknamed Green Tops, often fly alongside. HMX-1 operated 12 of them as of 2024, carrying White House staff, Secret Service agents and the press, not the president.

Is Marine One an Osprey now?

No. The Ospreys seen at presidential events belong to HMX-1, but they carry staff, security and media. The call sign Marine One goes only on the aircraft the president is aboard, and in 2026 that is a VH-3D, a VH-60N or a VH-92A.

Who flies Marine One?

Marine One is flown by Marine Helicopter Squadron One, HMX-1, the Nighthawks. It was founded on December 1, 1947 at Quantico, Virginia, as an experimental unit testing helicopters when rotary-wing flight was still in its infancy.

More than 800 Marines support the Marine One fleet, and every one must pass a Yankee White background check before touching a presidential helicopter. The squadron is also the main test unit for new Marine Corps assault helicopters, often using the same pilots who fly the president.

HMX-1 is based at Marine Corps Air Facility Quantico, with a detachment at Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling in Washington, DC. When the president lands, a Marine guard in blue dress uniform is there to receive the commander-in-chief.

The helicopters are known as White Tops, after the white upper fuselage that Col. Virgil Olson, the squadron’s commander, introduced for visibility. The high-gloss green and white scheme does for Marine One what the blue and white Air Force One livery does for the presidential jet.

Inside Marine One: bathroom, armor and defenses

Yes, Marine One has a bathroom. The executive VH-3A Sea Kings of the 1960s already had carpeting, radio telephones, a wet bar and a toilet, and Business Insider describes today’s cabin as about 200 square feet (19 m²) of space, including a bathroom.

The cabin is soundproofed well enough for passengers to talk at normal volume. In 2019 at least one VH-3D received a refreshed interior with cream seats, woodgrain and polished metal trim.

The VH-3D carries no weapons. Its protection comes from countermeasures instead: flares, chaff and AN/ALQ-144A infrared jammers against missiles, plus hardening against electromagnetic pulse (EMP).

The helicopters are also armored, with self-sealing fuel tanks and energy-absorbing landing gear to improve the odds of surviving a crash.

How much does Marine One cost?

The VH-92A program was estimated at $4.718 billion for 23 helicopters in fiscal 2015 terms. Spread across the fleet, development included, that works out to about $205 million per aircraft.

The canceled VH-71 had been projected at about $400 million each. Spending on the VH-92A continues: in August 2026 the Navy awarded Sikorsky $107.3 million for upgraded main rotor blades, with development running to March 2031.

The August 2026 Marine One incident at Reagan National

On August 4, 2026, a VH-3D carrying President Trump lifted off from the Ellipse, just south of the White House, at about 2:33 pm. White House construction had moved the departure to that temporary site.

About a minute later, American Airlines flight 3742, an Envoy Air Embraer 170, took off from Reagan National. At their closest the two aircraft were 0.82 nautical miles apart laterally and 700 feet (213 m) vertically, and both landed safely.

The NTSB’s preliminary findings say the crew tried at least twice to give the tower its required three-minute departure notice. The temporary site had no direct line of sight for radio, so the first call was not received and the second was unreadable.

Marine One continued to Joint Base Andrews, where the president boarded Air Force One for Los Angeles. The NTSB findings released on August 27, 2026 are preliminary.

A short history of Marine One

Eisenhower was not the first president to fly, but he was the first to ride in a helicopter. On July 12, 1957, Air Force Maj. Joseph Barrett flew him from the White House toward Camp David in a Bell H-13J, a small helicopter the Secret Service chose for its safety record.

Bell UH 13J landing on the West Lawn of the White House. — A Bell H-13J landing at the White House. The type carried Eisenhower on the first presidential helicopter flight in July 1957. – © U.S. Air Force

That first presidential helicopter was an Air Force aircraft, not a Marine one. The H-13J carried two passengers in any comfort, had a range of about 150 miles (240 km) and topped out around 100 mph (160 km/h).

The Marines got their turn that September. Urgently needed back at the White House during a vacation in Newport, Rhode Island, Eisenhower flew in an HMX-1 Sikorsky HUS-1 and turned a much longer journey into a seven-minute helicopter ride.

He found the bigger Sikorsky a vast improvement and switched to it. To avoid favoring either service, he alternated between Marine and Army helicopters, and the arrangement lasted until 1976, when the Marine Corps took over alone.

US Marine Corps Sikorsky UH 34D Seahorse — A Marine Corps UH-34D Seahorse, from the Sikorsky H-34 family that HMX-1 flew for Eisenhower. – © cc0

The helicopter that flew Johnson home

A Sikorsky VH-3A on display at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California, carried Lyndon Johnson from Andrews Air Force Base to the White House on the day President Kennedy was assassinated. It went on to fly Presidents Johnson, Nixon and Ford.

Here is how the presidential helicopter fleet evolved from Eisenhower’s H-13J to the VH-92A.

1947

HMX-1 is founded. The squadron stands up at Quantico, Virginia, on December 1 as an experimental helicopter unit.

July 1957

First presidential helicopter flight. Eisenhower leaves the White House in an Air Force Bell H-13J.

September 1957

First Marine flight with the president. An HMX-1 HUS-1 carries Eisenhower from Newport, Rhode Island, in seven minutes.

1960s

The Sea King era begins. The Navy buys eight executive VH-3A Sea Kings with a wet bar and a toilet.

1976

Marines take over alone. The Army stops flying the president, ending Army One.

Late 1970s

VH-3D enters service. The improved Sea King becomes the main presidential helicopter.

Late 1980s

VH-60N White Hawk joins. A presidential Black Hawk is added to the fleet.

2009

VH-71 canceled. The first replacement program is scrapped after its cost nearly doubles.

2014

VH-92 contract. Sikorsky wins a $1.24 billion award for the first six helicopters.

August 2024

VH-92A flies as Marine One. President Biden rides it from O’Hare to Soldier Field in Chicago.

September 2026

South Lawn helipad due. The granite pad lets the VH-92A take over White House departures.

FAQ

Yes. Presidential Sea Kings have had a toilet since the executive VH-3A of the 1960s, which also carried a wet bar and radio telephones. Business Insider describes the current cabin as about 200 square feet of space, including a bathroom.

No. HMX-1 operates MV-22 Ospreys, but they carry White House staff, Secret Service agents and the press. The president flies in a VH-3D Sea King, a VH-60N White Hawk or the new VH-92A Patriot.

Rarely. Marine One normally flies with identical helicopters, sometimes as many as five, and only one carries the president. The group shifts formation in flight so observers cannot tell which one it is.

The VH-92A Patriot has a published range of 620 miles (998 km), or 539 nautical miles. That is plenty for trips around Washington, but not for crossing an ocean, so Marine One travels overseas inside a C-17 or C-5 cargo jet.

The VH-92A has a maximum speed of 190 mph (306 km/h), or 165 knots, and cruises at about 174 mph (280 km/h).

Sikorsky delivered 23 VH-92As by August 2024, 21 for operations and two for testing, to replace 10 VH-3D Sea Kings and 6 VH-60N White Hawks. Marine Corps planning has HMX-1’s VH-92A fleet at 16 once the older types retire.

No. The VH-3D carries no weapons and relies on defensive countermeasures instead, including flares, chaff and infrared jammers against missiles. The helicopters are also armored and hardened against electromagnetic pulse.

Marine aviators of Marine Helicopter Squadron One (HMX-1), based at Quantico, Virginia. More than 800 Marines support the fleet, and each must pass a Yankee White background check before working on a presidential helicopter.

Marine One is the call sign of a Marine Corps aircraft carrying the president. When the vice president is aboard without the president, the call sign is Marine Two.

Marine One: Inside the President’s Helicopter Fleet in 2026