Presenting The President's New $1.2 Billion Helicopter -- By Tyler Durden, Zero Hedge

Today was a good day for United Technologies: its subsidiary Sikorsky Aircraft Corp was awarded a $1.2 billion contract by the Naval Air Systems Command to build the VXX: also known as the new Presidential Helicopter. Initial fielding is planned for 2020, with production concluding in 2023.
From the press release:

The $1,244,677,064 fixed-price incentive engineering and manufacturing development (EMD) contract, with production options, culminates a full and open competition to contract for integration of mature mission systems into an existing in-production aircraft in order to minimize the cost of developing and testing a new design.

“Throughout the entire proposal process, we emphasized cost as well as technical performance,” said U.S. Navy Capt. Dean Peters, program manager for NAVAIR’s Presidential Helicopters Program Office. “Our contract objectives are directly tied to mission requirements and long-term sustainability. We are committed to a cost-effective acquisition strategy and prudent use of existing technology. Sikorsky’s proposal adequately supports this commitment and together we will efficiently deliver the next Presidential helicopter fleet in an affordable and timely manner.”

Hopefully $1.2 billion at least buys the president an ejection seat. Because truly the one thing that is preventing the president from doing his duties is being able to fly from point A to point B in a new, improved and far spiffier helicopter. And by point we of course mean "golf course."

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