Legislation Introduced by Congresswoman DeLauro

Marine One, the President’s helicopter, which has been built at Sikorsky Aircraft (Stratford, Connecticut) and its subcontractors throughout America since the Eisenhower Administration, will now be in part built overseas by Italian and British citizens. That is because of the Navy’s January 28, 2005, decision to award this contract to Finmeccanica Italy’s British subsidiary, AgustaWestland.

Besides the obvious effects that the contract award will have on U.S. jobs and the manufacturing industry, serious security, safety and financial questions that must be answered. Below is a short summary of these other important issues that Members of Congress should consider before allowing this decision to stand:

The Navy’s contract award announcement acknowledges that 36 percent of the work on this contract will be performed overseas. That means work that had been done by Americans will now be done by Europeans.

All workers on the Presidential helicopter program must meet “Yankee White”-level security clearance, the highest possible security level. This level of security requires “unquestionable loyalty to the United States” and precludes marriage to a non-American. How can European workers possibly meet this requirement?

The Presidential helicopter contains some of the most advanced, sensitive military and communications equipment available. This decision puts that technology--and future technology--in the hands of European companies who may soon be able to sell their products to China.

The Sikorsky entry was modeled on its S-92, the safest helicopter on the market today and winner of the Collier Award for excellence in aeronautics. When the S-92 received its certification in 2002, FAA Regional Administrator Amy Corbett called the aircraft “the world’s safest helicopter.” The AgustaWestland entry, the EH-101, is not even certified for flight in the U.S. by the FAA.

Last year, both the Canadian Air Force and the British Air Force grounded their versions of the EH-101 after a fatal crash of one helicopter and cracks were discovered in the tail rotors of several others.

The EH-101 is not the best value for taxpayer dollars. Also, critics within the Pentagon say the Navy’s testing schedule is “not executable” and the acquisition strategy “violates the fly before buy” concept that taxpayer funds are not wasted.

The European helicopter market is virtually CLOSED to American helicopter producers. Each of the last six major European helicopter purchases (since 1997) have been awarded to Eurocopter, AgustaWestland or EADS. Unfortunately, things are getting worse, not better. Finmeccanica, the Italian company that owns AgustaWestland, recently went to court to prevent the Italian government from offering a competitive bidding process for a 250-helicopter contract.

In order to address these important questions, DeLauro has introduced the Marine One Made In America Act (H.R. 459), which will require the Secretary of the Navy to purchase presidential helicopters which are wholly manufactured in the United States, and void any contract entered into after December 31, 2004, which does not meet this requirement.