VH-92 Patriot Getting Granite White House Helipad Will Finally Allow VH-3D Sea King To Retire
After many decades of landing on the White House lawn, Marine One will operate from a helipad, which Trump says the VH-92's maker is paying for.
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In the future, the iconic image of the commander-in-chief strolling through the grass of the White House South Lawn onto the Marine One helicopter will be a faded memory. President Donald Trump today said he had ordered a granite helipad be built on the South Lawn to protect it from the intense exhaust heat and rotor wash generated by the new VH-92A Patriot helicopter that will shuttle him, the vice president, their families, and their closest advisors, around, both at home and abroad. Based on imagery of the White House from satellite and far close to the ground, the helipad is already deeply under construction.
The helipad, he added, will be paid for by Sikorsky, the Lockheed Martin subsidiary that makes the VH-92A. The Wall Street Journal was the first to report that the White House building a helipad on the South Lawn.
Construction at the future site of a helipad on the South Lawn of the White House on Tuesday, June 30, 2026 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Al Drago/For The Washington Post via Getty Images) The Washington Post
“For 50 years we’ve been landing helicopters on grass,” Trump told reporters at the White House today. “The grass is wet, soggy, and our other Marine Ones are about 40 years old.”
Aging VH-3Ds currently used for the mission are set to be retired completely sometime this year. However, the Marines expect to keep flying their VH-60Ns through at least 2030 because of their particular ability to operate in hot and/or high-altitude environments.
The VH-92As “are about two and a half times more powerful than the old ones,” the American leader explained. “And when you land on the grass, it’s not that the grass gets discolored, it gets ripped out.”
Marine Helicopter Squadron One (HMX-1) runs test flights of the new VH-92A over the South Lawn of the White House on Sept. 22, 2018, Washington, D.C. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Hunter Helis) Sgt. Hunter Helis
The problem, as we reported on for years, led to a delays in the operational deployment of the VH-92A.
“This was a little bit of a planning mistake,” Trump explained. “So they landed the helicopter, and half of the grass was sitting in front of the Oval Office front door. The rest, it was scattered all over.”
The grass was also singed, Trump added.
“Everybody said, ‘well, we’ll keep using the old helicopters when we have to land at the White House, and for everything else we use the new helicopters.’ That’s a pretty expensive deal, you wouldn’t do that for your company.”
Trump proffered that Sikorsky, who makes the new VH-92, is going to pick up estimated $5 million to $6 million construction costs.
“You know why?” Trump exclaimed, answering his own question. “Because they didn’t tell us how powerful these helicopters were, and they felt a little bit guilty.”
Reporter: Are you building a helipad?
Trump: Yeah. For 50 years, we’ve been landing helicopters on grass. The grass is wet, soggy. Sikorsky is paying for it. You know why? Because they didn't tell us how powerful these helicopters were. This one is a beauty. It's got the seal of… pic.twitter.com/TL6lgW1yge
It isn’t clear how the same issue will impact how the VH-92s will be used when flying abroad, as using large fields as landing zones is not uncommon for such trips.
Trump didn’t offer a timeline for this project or name the company doing the construction work. Lockheed confirmed the contribution range shared by Trump.
“This specific contribution was made to the Trust for the National Mall, the National Park Service’s non-profit organization,” a Lockheed Martin spokesperson said in a statement.
“Our engagement with the federal government is guided by rigorous ethics and compliance standards and conducted in full accordance with all applicable laws and regulations.”
The “VH‑92A Patriot is a recognizable patriotic asset known around the globe for safety, security and reliability,” a Sikorsky spokesperson said. “It brings increased capabilities for the no‑fail mission supporting the Commander‑in‑Chief around the world. The helicopter delivers increased performance and reduced maintenance costs and time over the current fleet of presidential helicopters.”
Marine Helicopter Squadron One (HMX-1) runs test flights of the new VH-92A over the south lawn of the White House on Sept. 22, 2018, Washington, D.C. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Hunter Helis) Sgt. Hunter Helis
Upon learning that Sikorsky was footing the bill, Trump said he decided to go for granite.
“Let’s do a beauty, let’s not just do a piece of concrete and paint it white,” he proclaimed. “This one is a beauty. It’s got the seal of the White House, it’s beautiful, the eagle, and it’s carved out of granite stone by some of the most talented people you’ll ever meet. And you’re landing on granite, which is the strongest stone that we can like.”
Trump suggested that when the helipad isn’t being used for Marine One, it can be used for events or even press conferences. The president also stated that once the helipad is finished, “we’ll be able to finally retire 45-year-old helicopters.”
A U.S. Marine stands at ease next to a VH-60N Whitehawk executive transport helicopter as Air Force One lands at Buckley Air Force Base, Colo., April 24, 2012. (Photo by Tech. Sgt. Wolfram Stumpf) Master Sgt. Wolfram Stumpf
The destruction of the White House lawn wasn’t the only issue delaying the use of the VH-92A as the only presidential helicopter. Communications systems problems were one of the hurdles these helicopters had overcome on its long road to reaching operational service, which was supposed to occur years ago.
Sikorsky, which won a $1.24 billion contract, delivered the 23rd and final VH-92A Patriot to the Marines on Aug. 19, 2024. That same day, then-President Joe Biden took the first presidential trip on one of those aircraft.
U.S. President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden step off of Marine One, the new model Sikorsky VH-92A, upon arrival at Soldier Field Landing zone in Chicago, Illinois, on August 19, 2024. (Photo by Brendan SMIALOWSKI / AFP) BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI
The U.S. Marine Corps achieved Initial Operational Capability (IOC) for the VH-92A in December 2021, and HMX-1 commenced operational missions with the new aircraft in 2022.
U.S. Marine Corps VH-92A flying over Washington, D.C. (Photo by Nicolas Economou/NurPhoto via Getty Images) NurPhoto
Trump’s helipad declaration comes as he is already turning the former East Wing into a new ballroom/military center. It should be noted that while Trump initially said the project would cost $400 million and be paid for by private donors, the administration wound up seeking a billion dollars in new fundingfrom Congress for the U.S. Secret Service. Of that money, $220 million would go toward the facility, while the rest would go to other efforts to enhance security around the complex. The spending plan is now caught up in a legal battle.
In our story about that project, we raised the question about whether Trump would use the roof of that building as a new helipad.
From that story: “Not long after the East Wing was torn down, we inquired with the White House if the ballroom’s roof would work as a helipad for Marine One. This inquiry was spurred by thechronic landing area issues with the new VH-92A Marine One helicopters. We never got a response,but the news hit this weekthat the White House is now looking to build a helicopter landing pad due to this issue. It isn’t perfectly clear if the ballroom could serve in this role or at least be used as an alternative landing site.”
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to the media alongside posters of his proposed White House ballroom amid construction at the White House on May 19, 2026 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) Chip Somodevilla
It’s also worth noting that the manicured grass where the helipad is going was already damaged by the temporarily set up for UFC fight on Trump’s 80th birthday, so the timing for the helipad install does make sense.
Guests, including members of the U.S. military, attend the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Freedom 250 mixed martial arts event under the open-air “Claw” on the South Lawn of the White House on June 14, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) Chip Somodevilla
We don’t know exactly when the new granite helipad will come online, but it will likely be this summer. And while it is yet be another way Trump has put his mark on the White House grounds, above all else, it will finally usher in the VH-92 as the primary Marine One helicopter and will allow the long-serving VH-3D Sea Kings to fly off into retirement once and for all.
