Obama uses chopper for short Mumbai flight

MUMBAI - Marine One helicopter, used by Barack Obama for a short flight after landing here Saturday, ferries the American president to avoid traffic snarls in cities he goes to.

Obama disembarked at the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport from Air Force One and boarded the waiting Marine One chopper that flew him to the Indian naval base INS Shikra.

Not just during foreign trips, the Marine One is extensively used when the president travels within the US.

According to rotaryhead.org, there have been, over time, many different helicopters used for the US president’s transport.

These include the Bell UH-1 Huey, the Sikorsky CH-3 Sea King, the Sikorsky CH-34C Choctaw, the Boeing CH-46 Sea Knight, the Bell 47-J Sioux, and Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk.

According to defence analyst Daniel Goure, the new Marine One must be able to fully protect the president.

“The president will be able to do anything and everything he does on Air Force One or from the national command post in the White House,” Goure has said.

Globalsecurity.org said the future “Marine One” would be one of the world’s most technologically advanced choppers. It would be designed to safely and reliably transport the president at home and abroad.