President Donald Trump said on Monday that aircraft manufacturer Sikorsky will finance the construction of a new helicopter landing pad on the White House South Lawn, with the project intended to support the next generation of Marine One helicopters.
According to the president's remarks in the Oval Office, Sikorsky - identified as a subsidiary of Lockheed Martin Corp - is covering about $5 million to $6 million to build a granite landing pad. After learning the company was paying for the work, the president said he asked that the helipad incorporate a carved seal of the White House.
"They didn’t tell us how powerful these helicopters were and they felt a little bit guilty," the president told reporters.
The U.S. Navy has said that a fleet of new Marine One helicopters was completed in 2024, and that the new aircraft are designed to boost performance and payload. The president noted practical reasons for the pad, saying that landings on the grass can do more than discolor it.
"When you land on the grass, it’s not that the grass gets discolored, it gets ripped out," he said.
Lockheed Martin did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the president’s statement about Sikorsky covering the pad's cost.
The announcement outlines the funding source and material choice - granite - for a helipad on grounds long used for presidential helicopter operations. The administration’s description of the project links the construction directly to accommodating the newer Marine One helicopters described by the Navy as completed in 2024; beyond those statements, no additional technical or scheduling details were provided by the parties quoted in the president’s remarks.
Financially, the figure cited by the president places the project in the mid-single-digit millions. The statement by the president and the Navy's note about the 2024 fleet completion are the primary factual anchors for the plan as described publicly; Lockheed’s lack of an immediate response leaves external confirmation of the company’s role pending an official reply.
This account focuses on the funding claim, the intended operational rationale tied to the newer helicopters, and the president’s request for a carved seal on the stone landing area. No additional procurement or contracting details were disclosed in the comments made public in connection with the announcement.