Sikorsky Awarded $107.3 Million Order to Upgrade Marine One Rotor Blades
The Navy awarded Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin company, a $107.3 million order to design and test improved main rotor blades for the VH-92A Presidential Helicopter, with work running through March 2031.
STRATFORD, CONNECTICUT — Sikorsky, the Stratford, Connecticut, helicopter maker that has built the presidential fleet since 1957, received a $107.3 million Navy order to develop stronger rotor blades for the VH-92A Presidential Helicopter, as announced on war.gov.
The cost-plus-fixed-fee, firm-fixed-price order covers the design, integration, and testing of the Power Margin Increment Two main rotor blades, which aim to raise the aircraft’s power margin and improve operational performance. The Navy will obligate fiscal 2026 research, development, test and evaluation funds of $18.4 million at the time of award, according to war.gov. The order carries the number N0001926F1126 against a previously issued basic ordering agreement, and it was not competed.
Sikorsky has supplied the presidential helicopter since 1957, and its S-92 airframe won the Navy contract to serve as the replacement Marine One in 2014, according to bjtonline.com. The company became a Lockheed Martin subsidiary in November 2015 when Lockheed Martin closed its roughly $9 billion acquisition, according to prnewswire.com.
“These changes support the development, integration, and qualification of an improved main rotor blade design to increase aircraft power margin and enhance operational performance,” the Navy said in the contract announcement, according to war.gov.
Stronger rotor blades matter because a helicopter’s power margin determines how much weight it can lift and how it performs in hot conditions and at altitude. The upgrade benefits the Navy and the White House Military Office, which operate the fleet that carries the president. Taxpayers carry the cost, and the work supports jobs across four states.
Work will span Stratford, Connecticut, at 72%; West Palm Beach, Florida, at 25%; Fort Worth, Texas, at 2%; and King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, at 1%. Naval Air Systems Command in Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity. The order marks the first contract recorded for Sikorsky in the database during 2026 and the second Department of Defense contract in Connecticut this year, and it ranked among nine Department of Defense contracts issued nationwide on July 31, 2026.
The scope is modest against Sikorsky’s parent. Lockheed Martin employs approximately 126,000 people worldwide, and its helicopters serve all five branches of the U.S. armed forces and operators in 40 nations, according to lockheedmartin.com. The order also falls between the 2026 Navy portfolio’s year-to-date minimum of $95 million and maximum of $229.7 million.
Most readers will never fly aboard Marine One, yet the fleet’s readiness shapes how the commander in chief travels during emergencies and routine movements. A higher power margin gives the aircraft more capacity to carry passengers, fuel, and equipment in demanding conditions.
This has happened before. The VH-92A itself emerged from a decades-long effort to replace the aging presidential helicopters, and the Navy chose the S-92 design in 2014 before fielding began, according to bjtonline.com. Incremental upgrades to power and mission systems have followed as the fleet enters service.
Naval Air Systems Command will oversee the work as the next decision point, with completion expected in March 2031. No date for the next contract action has been announced.
Presidential rotorcraft have long tested American engineering, as happened before. Igor Sikorsky founded his company in 1923 and flew the VS-300 in 1943, then produced the R-4, the first single-rotor helicopter to enter full-scale production, according to bjtonline.com. Sikorsky delivered its first presidential helicopter service in 1957, and its VH-3 and VH-60 aircraft carry the president today. The company that Sikorsky built has held the presidential mission for nearly seven decades, a run few defense contractors can match.
This contract represents the 1st contract awarded to Sikorsky Aircraft Corp., Lockheed Martin Co., in 2026, bringing the company’s total contract value for the year to $107,289,338. It is also the 2nd Department of Defense contract awarded in Connecticut during 2026. Because this is the first award to Sikorsky Aircraft Corp., Lockheed Martin Co. recorded in the database, it establishes the company’s initial benchmark within the Navy portfolio. Specifically, it falls between the 2026 Navy portfolio’s year-to-date minimum of $95,000,000 and maximum of $229,658,178. Overall, this award was announced among 9 Department of Defense contracts issued nationwide on July 31, 2026.
NewsFindr Chart Maker
Photo by NewsFindr Chart Maker