Does the president really fly in Marine One with decoys?
When the President of the United States (POTUS) takes to the skies, the military is in charge of their safe delivery. As for airplane travel, POTUS typically rides aboard Air Force One. However, when it comes to flying on a helicopter, Marine One typically has the job of keeping POTUS safe. To accomplish such an important task, the green-and-white helicopters may fly with decoys.
Flying aboard ‘Marine One’ is a bit of a vulnerability for the President of the United States– so they use decoys
Let’s get something straight. Marine One isn’t a single military helicopter. Or even copies of the same green-and-white aircraft. The moniker “Marine One” belongs to any United States Marine Corps (USMC) aircraft when the president is aboard. Technically, a doors-open Bell UH-1Y Venom would be “Marine One” if President Joe Biden or President-elect Donald Trump were on board during their terms.
According to the George W. Bush Library, the Marine Corps unit responsible for the president’s rotary wing transport is HMX-1. HMX-1, callsign “Nighthawks,” flies a multitude of “White Top” helicopters to transport the president. In addition to the U.S. Marine guards aboard the aircraft, HMX-1 helicopters use special tactics to keep the Commander in Chief safe, including decoy aircraft.
In an attempt to obscure travel plans and the location of the president, the “White Top” helicopters fly in groups of identical aircraft. However, this isn’t some silly shell game. Each aircraft in the group is equipped with advanced countermeasures in the event of ground and air threats.
Incidentally, I watched four versions of Marine One fly by on a route in Northern Virginia when I was much younger. Each version of the Sikorsky VH-3D Sea King helicopter looked indistinguishable at a distance. Now, however, POTUS will likely travel aboard an updated rotary wing application.
Specifically, the Sikorsky VH-92A Patriot has been poised to replace the current HMX-1 lineup of helicopters for years. Lengthy delays and cost-cutting initiatives kept a president from riding with the new airframe. However, the Marine One-liveried VH-92A carried the president for the first time this year as President Joe Biden used the aircraft in Chicago, per AP News.
