{"id":63219,"date":"2026-02-02T21:20:44","date_gmt":"2026-02-02T20:20:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.outono.net\/elentir\/?p=63219"},"modified":"2026-02-09T23:42:45","modified_gmt":"2026-02-09T22:42:45","slug":"vh-60n-white-hawk-the-black-hawk-helicopters-that-transport-the-us-president","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.outono.net\/elentir\/2026\/02\/02\/vh-60n-white-hawk-the-black-hawk-helicopters-that-transport-the-us-president\/","title":{"rendered":"VH-60N White Hawk, the Black Hawk helicopters that transport the US president"},"content":{"rendered":"

Air transporting the President of the United States is a major responsibility assigned to two branches of that country's Armed Forces.<\/p>\n

The Boeing 747-8i that Donald Trump wants to use as Air Force One and its serious drawbacks<\/a><\/rel>
\nThe problems of the VH-92A Patriot, the new US Marine One presidential helicopter<\/a><\/rel><\/p>\n

The United States Air Force (USAF) is responsible for the long-distance air transport of the president<\/strong>, for which it has two large Boeing VC-25A<\/strong> aircraft (a modified version of the 747-200B) that made their first flights in 1987. These aircraft are known by the nickname \"Air Force One,\"<\/strong> which is the radio call sign each uses when the president is on board, and are operated by the 89th Airlift Wing<\/strong>, based in Andrews, Maryland. That unit also has six Boeing C-32s<\/strong>, a version of the Boeing 757: four C-32As and two C-32Bs, used to transport the vice president (when on board, they use the call sign \"Air Force Two\"<\/strong>), the first lady, and members of Congress and government officials.<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/div>\n
A VH-60N at Buckley AFB, Colorado, on April 24, 2012, with a VC-25A \"Air Force One\" landing in the background with President Barack Obama on board (Photo: dvidshub.net<\/a>).<\/div>\n

Short-range presidential air transport is the responsibility of the Marine Corps (USMC)<\/strong>, which has a dedicated unit for this purpose: Marine Helicopter Squadron One (HMX-1), based at Quantico, Virginia. This unit is divided into two sections: the Executive Flight Detachment or \"Whiteside\"<\/strong>, used for transporting VIPs and whose aircraft have white upper sections (hence the nickname \"White Top\"), and the \"Greenside\"<\/strong>, which refers to the rest of HMX-1's aircraft, used for support tasks (such as transporting Secret Service agents, responsible for the president's protection) and whose upper sections are green (hence the nickname \"Green Top\").<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/div>\n
A VH-60N at Pope Army Airfield, North Carolina, on June 9, 2023, during a visit by President Joe Biden. The navigation radar is visible on the nose of the helicopter, one of the features that distinguishes it from the UH-60A Black Hawk on which it is based. (Photo: U.S. Army<\/a>).<\/div>\n

The \"Whiteside\" currently has 25 helicopters<\/a>: 10 VH-3D Sea King<\/strong> (the most famous model, as it has been in service for many years), 6 VH-60N White Hawk<\/strong> (a VIP transport version of the famous UH-60 Black Hawk tactical transport helicopter), and 9 VH-92 Patriot<\/strong> (which are the most modern helicopters in the unit and which have had some problems, as we already saw here<\/a> in August 2024). The HMX-1 helicopter that transports the president uses the radio call sign \"Marine One\"<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/div>\n
An MV-22B Osprey tiltrotor from the \"Greenside\" of HMX-1 alongside a VH-60N from the \"Whiteside\" at Mu\u00f1iz ANGB, Puerto Rico, during a visit by President Donald Trump on October 2, 2017 (Photo: U.S. Air Force<\/a>).<\/div>\n

The \"Greenside\" uses 12 Bell-Boeing MV-22B Osprey tiltrotor aircraft<\/strong>, a type of aircraft used by the Marines for tactical transport. The HMX-1 and all its aircraft are part of the Marine Corps Aviation (USMCA)<\/a>, which is itself a powerful air force with more aircraft than most allied air forces.<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/div>\n
A VH-60N during a visit by President Donald Trump to the aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77) on October 2, 2025 (Photo: U.S Navy<\/a>).<\/div>\n

The VH-60N White Hawk entered service in 1988.<\/strong> The HMX-1 received nine units, initially designated VH-60D Night Hawk. These helicopters were built on the basis of the UH-60A Black Hawk<\/strong> (the initial version of this helicopter operated by the US Army) but with the addition of some features from the Navy's SH-60 Seahawks. Unlike the UH-60A, the VH-60N has a weather radar<\/strong> (located in the nose) and additional avionics, hinged side doors (instead of the classic sliding doors of the Black Hawk), and fixed windows instead of the sliding windows in the gunner's station of the UH-60.<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/div>\n
Two marines await the arrival of President Joe Biden in County Mayo, Ireland, on April 14, 2023. The image shows the swing doors of the VH-60N, which replace the sliding door of the UH-60. (Photo: U.S. Army<\/a>).<\/div>\n

Compared to the larger and heavier VH-3D and VH-92, the VH-60N has the advantage of being transportable by USAF C-17 aircraft<\/strong>, making it the helicopter typically used by the President of the United States for overseas travel. To achieve this, the VH-60N features folding blades on both rotors<\/strong> and folding tail fins.<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/div>\n
A VH-60N (163261, cn 70.1117) with its rotors and stabilizers folded at Caen-Carpiquet Airport, France, during a visit by President Donald Trump in June 2019 for the 75th anniversary of the Normandy landings (Photo: Alan Wilson<\/a>).<\/div>\n

During the president's trips abroad, the HMX-1 carries several VH-60N helicopters<\/strong>, following the same practice it uses with other models, in order to mislead potential threats about which aircraft is transporting the US head of state. We can see an example in this video published by eub332 Aviation<\/a> a few days ago, in which we see two VH-60N helicopters during Donald Trump's recent visit to Davos, Switzerland<\/strong>, to participate in the World Economic Forum. In this case, we see that the HMX-1's helicopters were escorted by two US Army UH-60 Black Hawks and three Swiss Air Force AS332 Super Pumas.<\/p>\n