Defense officials formally announced March 14 that the White House and Defense Department have agreed to a plan that maintains two VH-71 presidential helicopter replacement program increments, although the White House also has made “compromises” on Increment 1 requirements “to help with cost and schedule issues.”

Pentagon acquisition chief John Young further acknowledged that total program cost has grown from $6.8 billion to $11.2 billion, with Increment 1 rising from $2.3 billion to $3.7 billion and Increment 2 jumping from $4.5 billion to $7.5 billion.

“Because of cost growth issues and congressional funding cuts,” Increment 2 also is under a stop work order, they said. While the White House has not changed Increment 2 requirements for the 23 helicopters there, no existing medium-lift helo can meet the requirements.

“The original VH-71 program planned to rely on an existing commercial helicopter and make modest modifications,” Young explained.

“The Navy and industry team did not clearly realize the full implications of the White House requirements,” Young said, noting that the program sought to rely on exisiting helos that were modestly modified. “These issues were further complicated by the enforcement of Navy certification requirements on a helicopter designed to commercial aviation standards,” he said. Now, the Navy and industry teams are will complete a “substantial” redesign of the EH-101 base helo to meet Increment 2 requirements.

Still, even as the White House and the Pentagon may finally have an agreement on the Navy and Marine Corps’ VH-71 presidential helicopter replacement program, Capitol Hill could increasingly become a stumbling block of its own.

“It would appear that the entire basis of the contract award has been nullified,” said Rep. Duncan Hunter (Calif.), the ranking Republican on the House Armed Services Committee. “I question whether the Navy and the contractor team can execute this funding, given the troubled history with requirements growth and past performance,” he said this month.

“We will need to understand what has caused those cost growth problems and what steps are being taken to correct them,” echoed Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin (D-Mich.) during initial budget hearings in early March.

Concept image credit: Team US 101