Marine One Marine One is the call sign of any United States Marine Corps aircraft carrying the President of the United States . It usually denotes a helicopter operated by the HMX - 1 " Nighthawks " squadron , either the large VH - 3D Sea King or the newer , smaller VH - 60N " WhiteHawk " . A Marine Corps aircraft carrying the has the call sign Marine Two . History . The first use of helicopters for presidential transport was in 1957 , when President Dwight D . Eisenhower traveled on a Bell UH - 13J Sioux . The President needed a quick way to reach his summer home in Rhode Island , as Air Force One could not land at either the White House or the summer home . Eisenhower instructed his staff to look into alternative modes of transportation and a Sikorsky UH - 34 Seahorse helicopter was commissioned . The early aircraft lacked the " creature comforts " found on its modern successors , such as air conditioning and toilets for in - flight use . In 1958 , the H - 13 was replaced by the Sikorsky H - 34 , and in 1961 by the VH - 3A . Not long after the mode of presidential transport was introduced , presidential aides asked the Marine Corps to look into the White House South Lawn as a helicopter landing zone . Ample room was present , and the protocol was established . Until 1976 , the Marine Corps shared the responsibility of helicopter transportation for the president with the United States Army . Army helicopters used the call sign Army One while the president was on board . The VH - 3D replaced some VH - 3As in 1978 , and the remaining VH - 3As were replaced by the VH - 60N beginning in 1987 . Improvements were made to both types of helicopters since their introduction to both take advantage of technological developments as well as to meet new mission requirements . However , by about 2001 , it was clear that so much extra weight had been added to the helicopters that mission capability was being reduced and few new improvements could be made . By 2009 , there were 11 VH - 3Ds and eight VH - 60Ns in service as presidential / VIP helicopters . On July 16 , 2009 , Marine One flew with an all - female crew for the first time . This was also the final flight of Major Jennifer Grieves , who was the first woman pilot to fly the president . As of January 2009 , Marine One has not been the subject of any accident or attack . However , in 2006 , President George W . Bush attempted to board Marine One with his departing press secretary , and the ignition on Marine One ' s engines failed . The president was forced to exit the helicopter and depart the White House in an automobile . Development of a replacement helicopter . The September 11 terrorist attacks on the United States led to widespread agreement that the Marine One helicopter fleet needed significant upgrades to its communication , transportation , and security systems . But these could not be made due to the weight already added to the aircraft . In April 2002 , the Department of Defense ( DOD ) initiated the VXX program to develop a new presidential / VIP helicopter transportation system . The helicopter program was assigned to the United States Navy . A delivery date of 2011 was set . The White House asked the Secretary of Defense to accelerate the development of the new aircraft in November 2002 , and DOD said it would have a new aircraft ready by the end of 2008 . To do so , DOD asked companies bidding on the aircraft design to begin development and production at the same time . Specifications for the new aircraft were kept secret . Industry publications and testimony at congressional briefings revealed , however , that the helicopter was to be long , carry 14 passengers , be able to carry several thousand pounds of baggage and gear , and have a greater range than the VH - 3D or VH - 60N . The helicopter ' s defensive capabilities were to include a radar jamming and deception system to ward off anti - aircraft missiles , and hardening of key electronics against nuclear electromagnetic pulse . It also was to include an encrypted telecommunications system and videoconferencing . Lockheed Martin and Sikorsky Aircraft competed against one another for the contract . Lockheed partnered with AgustaWestland , a joint British and Italian aircraft company , and offered a version of the AgustaWestland AW101 . Sikorsky proposed using its S - 92 . The Navy awarded the contract to Lockheed Martin in January 2005 , to develop and build 28 helicopters . The helicopter was designated VH - 71 Kestrel . Five of the initial less - sophisticated VH - 71 version were due for delivery in 2010 , with 23 of the upgraded version due for delivery in 2015 . The goal was to retire all VH - 3Ds and VH - 60Ns along with the five initial VH - 71s at that time , leaving the Marine One fleet with 23 helicopters . By March 2008 , the $ 6 . 1 billion cost of the 28 helicopters had skyrocketed to $ 11 . 2 billion . Members of Congress were shocked to discover that each VH - 71 would cost $ 400 million — more than a single Air Force One Boeing VC - 25 airliner . Lockheed Martin blamed the Navy for the cost overruns , saying that more than 1 , 900 extra requirements were added to the project after the contract was signed . The Navy said no extra requirements were added . It blamed having to redesign the VH - 71 to Navy standards , and an incomplete understanding by the Navy and Lockheed Martin on just how much retrofitting the civilian aircraft would need to meet the White House ' s specifications . In June 2009 , the VH - 71 program was canceled due to these cost overruns . By this time , cost estimates had ballooned to more than $ 13 billion . The Government Accountability Office issued a report in March 2011 that pointed to three sources for the cost overruns . First , asking for development at the same time as production led to extensive retrofitting of built models . Second , a full - scale review of the system ' s requirements did not occur until four months after production started . Only then was it discovered that the VH - 71 ' s design could not meet the system ' s needs . Third , DOD and the White House asked for excessive combat and communications capabilities . Immediately after the program ' s cancellation , however , the Marine Corps started the program again . This time , instead of development and production running concurrently , the Corps created an Initial Capabilities Document ( ICD ) which more clearly outlined the aircraft ' s requirements . DOD approved the ICD in August 2009 , naming it the VXX Helicopter Replacement Program . The Navy asked private industry in February 2010 for an Analysis of Alternatives ( AOA ) to meet the aircraft ' s mission needs . Among the options the Navy suggested were purchasing a single aircraft , but developing two variations on it . A second option raised by the AOA was to buy two different aircraft — one a " civilian " version with a bathroom , executive suite , and galley , and one a " military " version with complete command and control capabilities . The AOA drew interest from more than two companies , unlike the previous competition . These included Boeing , which told the press that either its CH - 47 Chinook or Bell Boeing V - 22 Osprey could meet the AOA ' s requirements . Since the AOA contemplated a much longer development and production process , the Navy said it intended to spend $ 500 million to keep the VH - 3Ds and VH - 60s flying . The company also said it could adapt the VH - 71 , should the Navy and Marine Corps wish to proceed with that as the base aircraft . DOD waived the requirement that companies develop a prototype on July 10 , 2013 . The department ' s analysis showed that the cost of producing a prototype was unlikely to generate any benefits . The department also said that it was proceeding with VXX development using an in - production aircraft with existing , proven systems . A draft request for proposal s was released on November 23 , 2012 . By August 2013 , all interested companies ( including Northrop Grumman - AgustaWestland and Bell - Boeing ) had withdrawn from the VXX bidding process except Sikorsky Aircraft . Sikorsky had partnered with Lockheed Martin , and said it intended to use its S - 92 as the base aircraft . A new deadline of 2020 was established for the 23 - helicopter fleet to be in operation . The " Washington Business Journal " reported on September 9 that the selection of Sikorsky now seemed like a " foregone conclusion " . Current operations . Marine One is sometimes the preferred alternative to motorcade s , which can be expensive and logistically difficult . The controlled environment of a helicopter adds greatly to the safety factor as well . It is also used to transport senior Cabinet staff and foreign dignitaries . The HMX - 1 squadron operates a total of 35 helicopters of four different types as of 2009 . More than 800 Marines supervise the operation of the Marine One fleet , which is based in Quantico , Virginia , but is more often seen in action on the South Lawn of the White House or at Joint Base Andrews Naval Air Facility in Maryland . At Andrews , it is sometimes used to connect to Air Force One for longer journeys . Marine One is met on the ground by at least one Marine in full dress uniform ( most often two with one acting as an armed guard ) . According to a story told by Bruce Babbitt , President Clinton , in his final days of office , while flying over and landing in a remote area near the Grand Canyon , found a Marine waiting on the rock ready to salute him . Marine aviators flying Marine One do not wear regular flight suit s during flights , but rather the Marine Blue Dress Charlie / Delta uniform . As a security measure , Marine One always flies in a group with identical helicopters , sometimes as many as five . One helicopter carries the President , while the others serve as decoys . Upon take - off these helicopters begin to shift in formation to obscure the location of the President . This has been referred to as a presidential shell game . Marine One is also equipped with standard military anti - missile countermeasures such as flares to counter heat - seeking missiles and chaff to counter radar - guided missiles , as well as AN / ALQ - 144A infrared countermeasures . To add to the security of Marine One , every member of HMX - 1 is required to pass a Yankee White background check before touching any of the helicopters used for presidential travel . Marine One is transported ( as is the president ' s limousine ) wherever the president travels , within the U . S . as well as overseas . At a presidential inauguration , the Marines offer a flight to the outgoing president from the Capitol to Andrews Air Force Base .