9. Kestrel VH-71
Joined the Service in 2007
Not retired: N/A
Price: *$241 million
Lockheed Martin, AgustaWestland, and Bell Helicopter worked together to produce the VH-71 Kestrel. The project was abandoned in 2009 due to the excessive cost ($13 billion for 28 Kestrels), even though it had made its first flight in 2007. The Marine One Presidential Transport Fleet was originally intended to be replaced by the Lockheed Martin aircraft.
VH-71 Kestrel on Twitter.com and @FASTmuseum
Prior to Lockheed Martin’s acquisition, the USMC Martin One was marketed as the US101. After cancellation, Lockheed later claimed that the government’s repeated demands for unforeseen and exorbitant modifications—none of which were included in the original RFP—were the reason the price was so high.
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