The President of the United States of America needs the best that aviation technology has offer when it comes to travel, and the Marine One helicopter plays a crucial role there.
Provided by the Marine Corps, the US President uses the Marine One helicopter to travel shorter distances.
Like a presidential vehicle should be, it’s a testament to the quality of modern-day engineering.
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The President of the United States is among the most protected people in the world.
This is why he needs the utmost security the Marine Corps and US Air Force can provide.
It has the most advanced defense systems and attack capabilities in any helicopter.
To name some of them, there are anti-missile countermeasures, ballistic armor, radar jammers, and much more.
It’s almost like a fortress in the sky.
But why does the helicopter have that name?
Similar to the Air Force One, any vehicle provided by the Marine Corps used by the President will have the Marine One name.
While the most important person in the US uses Air Force One to travel around the globe, he can’t use it to travel within cities.
That’s where Marine One comes in.
He uses the helicopter to travel between the White House and the airport and other shorter distances.
For instance, the POTUS visits Camp David – the presidential retreat property – inside Marine One.
It’s an extremely capable helicopter, to say the least.
While the President still has a massive motorcade to travel around the city, flying to the destination is much safer.
For a single journey, it can seat anywhere from 11 to 14 passengers.
Why the difference, you ask?
That’s because there are two different helicopter variants dubbed as Marine One, according to the George Bush Library.
One of them is the Sikorsky VH-3D Sea King and the other is the VH-60N Blackhawk.
The former can carry 14 passengers while the other one can seat 11 passengers.
The primary reason there are two of them is fairly obvious — because one of them stays ready for the President at all times.
Furthermore, the Blackhawk can fold its propellers — making loading it easier into the Air Force One.
That’s right — Marine One travels along with the President whenever he visits another country.
All in all, it’s a great fleet to have.
