Donald Trump got an up-close look at the new presidential aircraft Friday when the next generation of the Marine One fleet landed on the White House South Lawn.
The Sikorsky VH-92A staged the test landing as part of preparations for the new aircraft to enter service in 2021, replacing the Sikorsky VH-3Ds which have been in service since 1978, completely by 2023.
The White House said Trump inspected the new aircraft, but it was unclear if he stepped on board - the press was not allowed to see him near the helicopter.
He will have to win a second term to be a passenger on the helicopter, with the first being due to enter service with Marine Helicopter Squadron One - HMX-1 in Corps shorthand - after Inauguration Day 2021.
The aircraft which landed is part of a group of test helicopters which have completed more than 500 hours of flying time to assess their readiness.
A $542 million contract to deliver the first six an an anticipated 23-strong fleet was signed by the Navy on June 10, making the South Lawn landing a celebration of the move forward in one of the longest-running sagas in military procurement, which formally began in 2002.
Airpower: This is the Sikorsky VH-92A which will become the backbone of the presidential fleet by 2023, landing on the South Lawn as part of flight testing
Into the air: The VH-92A spent only a few minutes on the South Lawn and took off again to return to base. They are being tested at Patuxent River, Maryland, where three have been delivered
Close-up view: The VH-92A will accommodate up to 19 passengers when it enters service, and needs only two crew, compared to the four needed for the VH-3D, which has flown presidents since 1978
Closely-watched: A group of what appeared to be Secret Service and other officials monitored the VH-92A's takeoff
Vital moment: The VH-92As will have to land on and take off from the South Lawn regularly once they take over Marine One duties
Grand setting: The VH-92A takes off from the South Lawn with the White House behind, a sight which will become routine in the next decade
Tribute: The White House was flying the POW-MIA flag alongside the Stars and Stripes because of Flag Day on Sunday
Up and away: Once the VH-92As are in service, they will be based at Joint Base Andrews and ferry future presidents to Air Force One from the White House
Moment of truth: The successful take-off and landing on the South Lawn is only the second known appearance of the VH-92A at the White House, after another test in September 2018
Off to base: The VH-92A was headed back to Patuxent River, Maryland, where it is being tested by Sikorsky and assessed by the Pentagon
The new aircraft will make history when all 21 are delivered as the first presidential transport not derived from a model in service elsewhere with the military.
The current backbone of HMX-1, the VH-3Ds, are derivatives of the Sikorsky Sea King which saw service in the Navy and Marines from the 1960s into the last decade.
The squadron also uses VH-60N White Hawks, VIP version of the Seahawk and Blackhawk helicopters which have been the mainstay of the Navy, Marine Corps and Army helicopter fleet since the late 1980s.
And it has 12 MV-22B Ospreys, which take off as helicopters but fly as regular planes when their rotors tilt from upright to forward
They are usually used as protective escorts to the main Air Force One and also to carry the president's entourage, baggage and even - in the case of Barack Obama - his dog. Presidents have not been allowed to use them because of fears over their safety record.
The new VH-92s will cost a total of $4.95 billion according to the latest projection from the Navy, who are responsible for their procurement, as disclosed in a General Audit Office report in April this year.
It also warned that the helicopter could not land on the South Lawn without damaging it, according to a GAO assessment in 2018. It is unclear if the problem has been resolved, but Friday's test is likely to have been part of the process of dealing with it.
The new contract signed in June will see six of the aircraft delivered in 2021, Sikorsky said this week.
What's on board: The official Marine Corps specification of the VH-92A. The model it is based on, the S-92, is not in American military service in any other form. Previous Marine One helicopters have had equivalents in other service
Close-up: The VH-92A's special features including its rear entrance to the
