White House helipad project aims to serve new Marine One fleet
Trump says a privately funded granite landing pad will let newer presidential helicopters use the South Lawn without tearing up grass.
By Sofia Marchetti · World Affairs Correspondent
3 min read
President Donald Trump said he is adding a granite helipad to the White House South Lawn to handle newer presidential helicopters that have had trouble operating there. The project matters because the Marine One fleet has been modernized, but the newer aircraft have seen limited use at the White House because of heat and rotor effects on the lawn, according to the Associated Press.
Trump told reporters Monday that the landing area would include the White House seal carved into granite and would cost as much as $6 million, the AP reported. He said the work would be paid for privately, and identified Sikorsky Aircraft, a Lockheed Martin subsidiary, as the company covering the expense.
Lockheed Martin said in a statement to the AP that the contribution was made to the National Park Service and that the work was being carried out under applicable laws and regulations. Trump did not give a completion date, according to the AP.
New helicopters created a lawn problem
Sikorsky completed delivery of a 23-aircraft VH-92A Patriot fleet in 2024, according to the AP, and then-President Joe Biden took the first presidential flight aboard one of the new helicopters on his way to the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. A Sikorsky spokesperson told the AP that the newer aircraft offer better performance and lower maintenance costs and time.
Trump said the new helicopters are more powerful than the older aircraft used for Marine One flights and can tear up the grass when they land at the White House, according to the AP. The AP reported that the VH-92A’s exhaust vents direct heat downward, scorching the South Lawn, and that the Marines and Sikorsky have worked for years on a fix.
Trump said he told military officials that a permanent helipad would address the issue, the AP reported. He also said the pad could be used for other White House events, including outdoor news conferences.
A long-running fleet replacement
The effort to replace older presidential helicopters dates back more than two decades, according to the AP. President George W. Bush started a modernization effort in the early 2000s, but the program was later canceled after cost overruns; President Barack Obama restarted the effort, and Sikorsky received the VH-92A contract in 2014.
Marine Corps spokesman Capt. Jacob M. Sugg declined to comment to the AP on White House property matters. He said the Marine One squadron includes nine Sikorsky VH-3D Sea Kings first deployed in the 1970s, six Sikorsky VH-60Ns deployed in the late 1980s and 10 VH-92A Patriots.
Part of broader White House renovations
The AP reported that the helipad is one of several White House construction projects Trump has overseen. Those include changes to the Rose Garden, new flagpoles on the north and south lawns, renovations to the Palm Room and a bathroom attached to the Lincoln Bedroom, and demolition of the East Wing for a ballroom.
Trump also discussed work on the White House’s north-side columns Monday during a lunch in the Rose Garden patio area, according to the AP. He said crews had removed about 150 years of paint from the columns, but did not say who would pay for that work.
This story draws on original reporting from Fortune.