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Harris's campaign bus, Ground Force One

A VH-92A helicopter carrying out the mission of transporting VIPs

The performance of the US president's car has always attracted attention. In addition to the "Air Force One" special plane that performs long-distance flights, the US president may also travel by "Marine One" helicopter, "Ground Force One" armored bus and "Army One" sedan. The US "Power" website said on the 20th that the US Marine Corps used the new VH-92A helicopter for the first time on the 19th to send US President Biden to the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. At the same time, the "Ground Force One" armored bus that US Vice President Harris took recently also made a rare appearance in the campaign.

The U.S. Navy currently has 23 VH-92A executive helicopters, including 21 standard models and two test models. According to a statement from the U.S. Navy, "the fleet is able to support executive transport missions at any time, perform various levels of maintenance, upgrades, and provide relevant training for pilots."

Usually, the US President will choose to take a helicopter for short trips, and the helicopter he boarded will be given the call sign of "Marine One". According to the security regulations of the White House, any trip of the US President will be supported by at least two helicopters, which will be transported to the destination by the US Air Force C-17 transport aircraft to ensure that they are available at any time. Even if the US President chooses to travel in a motorcade, these helicopters are still required to be ready to take off at any time to transport the president to a safe area. For many years, these missions have been mainly performed by 10 VH-3D and 6 VH-60N helicopters, but they were built during the Vietnam War and are facing serious aging problems. In the future, they will be fully replaced by VH-92A. The US Marine Corps said in a statement on the 20th, "The President took the 'Marine One' helicopter for the first time when he went to Chicago. After the transition period, the VH-92A will replace the current VH-3D 'Sea King' and VH-60N 'White Eagle' helicopters to perform VIP transportation tasks."

The report said that the VH-92A was modified from the S-92A heavy helicopter. It has a longer range and a larger size than the two existing old helicopters, and its performance is very mature and its reliability is very high. The U.S. Marine Corps announced as early as April 2022 that the VH-92A had initial operational capability, but it was later discovered that there was a problem with the communication system equipped on the aircraft, which made it unable to actually perform the presidential transportation mission for a long time. Because a secure communication system is crucial for helicopters performing the "Marine One" mission, it is necessary for the president to conduct confidential conversations and make military decisions in emergencies.

The report also mentioned that US Vice President Harris and her running mate Waltz recently chose to take an "unusual bus" during their campaign trip in Pennsylvania. The bus was the "Ground Force One" customized by the US Secret Service with enhanced armor protection. US Secret Service spokesman Alec Sivoli said, "According to the guidelines of the US Special Counsel's Office, the Secret Service can allow presidential and vice presidential candidates protected by the US Secret Service to use the Secret Service bus during the campaign."

The report said that the "Ground Force One" armored bus was first put into use during Obama's first term after he was elected president in 2011. It has a very unique appearance. Its key features can be clearly seen in recent photos of Harris and Waltz's campaign in Pennsylvania, including thick armored glass, reinforced main doors, satellite communication antennas and air conditioning units on the top, and red and blue warning lights on the front and back. The bus is based on the X3-45 VIP 3 model of Prevost, a subsidiary of the Swedish Volvo Group, and has been heavily modified for the needs of the US Secret Service. In the end, the total procurement cost of each bus was about $1.1 million.

"Ground Force One" has been the vehicle of choice for presidential and vice presidential candidates for many years. In 2020, the "Ground Force One" of the Trump and Pence campaign teams had a minor accident while driving in rural Pennsylvania. Since the incumbent president and vice president still need to perform their administrative duties during the campaign, even including ordering a nuclear strike. Therefore, they must be able to use secure communication lines at any time. It is known that the modification of "Ground Force One" includes a powerful secure communication kit, armor and other defensive measures.