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| united states marine corps helicopter squadrons | |
Marine Helicopter Squadron One (HMX-1), "The Nighthawks", based at Marine Corps Air Facility, Quantico, Virginia , is responsible for the Helicopter transportation of the President Of The United States , vice president, Cabinet members and VIPs. When the President is aboard, the Marine helicopter uses the call sign " Marine One ." In addition to its VIP transport role, it is also tasked with operational test and evaluation (OT&E) of new flight systems for Marine Corps helicopters. AIRCRAFT The first official presidential helicopter was the VH-34 , beginning operations in September 1957 . Since 1976 the U.S. Marine Corps has had sole responsibility for presidential helicopter transportation. The current fleet is made up of the VH-3D Sea King and the VH-60N Blackhawk which entered service with the squadron in 1962 and 1988 , respectively. HMX-1 is scheduled to receive 23 new Lockheed Martin US-101 helicopters to replace the current fleet by 2008. EXECUTIVE FLIGHT DETACHMENT The presidential and VIP flights fall under "Whiteside", the Executive Flight Detachment. Most activities of Whiteside are directed by the White House Military Office . Whiteside, although based at Quatico, Virginia, operates extensively out of an alert facility at Naval Air Station Anacostia in Washington, DC, which conjoins Bolling Air Force Base . Operations by "Greenside", which is the rest of HMX-1, include operational test and evaluation, such as with the V-22 Osprey , a Vertical Take-off And Landing aircraft, and support of exercises and training evolutions for the Marine Corps Combat Development Command at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia. VIP transport helicopters can be distinguished from their counterparts by the white paint at the top of the aircraft, leading to the nickname "white tops." Interestingly, the "X" in its squadron designator originally stood for Experimental, emblematic of its original mission of testing new helicopters and flight systems. However, as its operational role in VIP transportation overshadowed its OT&E role, the "Experimental" moniker was dropped, although the squadron designator was left unchanged. SEE ALSO REFERENCE Article on HMX-1 by GlobalSecurity.org EXTERNAL LINKS
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