The Navy and Lockheed Martin are declining to comment on revelations that development costs for the VH-71 presidential helicopter program could soar to $13 billion, a problem that affects both the initial batch of helicopters and more advanced follow-on aircraft that comprise the bulk of the buy. The cost increase is detailed in Pentagon documents prepared for Congress late last month. The VH-71 has a history of cost growth. Last March, the Defense Department pegged the program's total cost at...
