Sikorsky Awarded $107.3 Million Order to Upgrade Marine One Rotor Blades

The Lockheed Martin unit will design, integrate and test Power Margin Increment Two main rotor blades for the VH-92A Presidential Helicopter, with work due by March 2031.

First Published: July 31, 2026, 1:33 PM ET

STRATFORD, CONNECTICUT — Sikorsky Aircraft Corp., the Lockheed Martin unit that builds the Marine One presidential helicopter fleet, received a $107.3 million order to develop upgraded main rotor blades for the VH-92A, as announced on war.gov.

The cost-plus-fixed-fee, firm-fixed-price order covers the design, integration and testing of Power Margin Increment Two main rotor blades. The work aims to raise the aircraft’s power margin and improve operational performance. Fiscal 2026 research, development, test and evaluation Navy funds of $18.4 million will fund the award, according to war.gov.

Sikorsky, founded in 1923 by aviation pioneer Igor Sikorsky and based in Stratford, Connecticut, employs roughly 15,000 people worldwide. The company became a Lockheed Martin subsidiary in 2015 in a deal worth about $9 billion, according to bjtonline.com. Sikorsky has supplied the presidential helicopter since 1957 and won the contract to build the current S-92-based Marine One in 2014, according to wikipedia.org.

The upgrade matters because the VH-92A carries the president and must lift heavier communications and defensive equipment without sacrificing hover and takeoff performance. A larger power margin gives pilots more lift in demanding conditions, from hot-weather flights to dense urban landing zones such as the South Lawn of the White House.

Stratford, Connecticut, accounts for 72% of the work, with the balance split among West Palm Beach, Florida, at 25%, Fort Worth, Texas, at 2%, and King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, at 1%. The order runs against a previously issued basic ordering agreement and was not competed. Naval Air Systems Command in Patuxent River, Maryland, serves as the contracting activity.

The award marks the fourth contract to Sikorsky in 2026, lifting the company’s total for the year to $242.6 million, according to firestore:contracts. It ranks as the 24th Department of Defense contract awarded in Connecticut during 2026. The order falls far below the company’s record award of about $3.8 billion, and it sits within the 2026 Navy portfolio’s year-to-date range.

Rotor-blade upgrades to keep presidential helicopters current have happened before. The VH-92A program itself grew out of a canceled predecessor, the VH-71 Kestrel, which the Pentagon scrapped in 2009 after costs ballooned. Incremental blade and power improvements offer a routine way to extend the life of an aircraft the government expects to fly for decades.

Naval Air Systems Command will oversee the next decisions on the effort. The blade development, integration and qualification should reach completion in March 2031. Officials announced no further milestone dates for the program.

Sikorsky’s ties to the presidential fleet stretch back further than any rival’s, and today’s order fits a long pattern of steady work. The company began its presidential helicopter role in 1957 and later fielded the VH-3 and VH-60 aircraft, according to wikipedia.org. Its S-92 civil design became the Marine One replacement in 2014, and Lockheed Martin bought the manufacturer the following year, according to bjtonline.com. Each transition kept the Stratford plant at the center of presidential rotorcraft production for nearly seven decades.

This contract represents the 4th contract awarded to Sikorsky Aircraft Corp., Lockheed Martin Co., in 2026, bringing the company’s total contract value for the year to $242,620,285. It is also the 24th Department of Defense contract awarded in Connecticut during 2026. While this is not the largest contract ever awarded to Sikorsky Aircraft Corp., Lockheed Martin Co., whose record stands at $3,767,831,006, it is notable within the Navy portfolio. Specifically, it falls between the 2026 Navy portfolio’s year-to-date minimum of $9,046,496 and maximum of $8,000,000,000. Overall, this award was announced among 10 Department of Defense contracts issued nationwide on July 31, 2026.