What is Marine One, Trump’s helicopter that made emergency landing in UK?

US President Donald Trump’s helicopter, Marine One, had to make an emergency landing while returning from his state visit to the United Kingdom.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the aircraft landed at a “local airfield” because of a “minor hydraulic issue”.

The President and the First Lady were later moved to a backup helicopter and reached Stansted Airport about 20 minutes late.

ALSO READ | Did distracted pilots of a plane almost hit Trump’s Air Force One?

Notably, Marine One and Marine Two are specially designed helicopters often called “white tops” because of their paintwork.

So what do we know about the Marine One?

Let’s take a look:

Trump’s Marine One: What is it?

Simply put, Marine One is the call sign used for any Marine Corps helicopter when the US President is on board.

These helicopters are equipped with missile defence systems, radar jammers, and electronics that can withstand the electromagnetic pulse from a nuclear explosion.

For security purposes, Marine One usually flies with several identical helicopters acting as decoys.

It is often accompanied by two or three Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey aircraft, called “green tops”. These tilt-rotor aircraft can take off and land like helicopters but fly as fast and efficiently as aeroplanes.

The Ospreys carry support staff, special forces, and Secret Service agents who are trained to respond to emergencies during flights.

Notably, Donald Trump has been using Marine One to travel between locations during his second state visit to the United Kingdom.

Marine One has antimissile systems, ballistic armour, secure communication lines, and radar-jamming technology, Business Insider reported.

If it crashes, the helicopter’s self-sealing fuel tanks and energy-absorbing landing gear are designed to reduce the risk of fire and damage.

According to the George W Bush Presidential Library, up to five Marine One helicopters can fly together to hide the President’s exact location. They also switch positions after take-off to make it harder to track which one he is on.

Marine One is often used instead of motorcades, which can be costly and hard to manage. When the President leaves Washington, D.C., he usually boards it from the White House South Lawn to reach Andrews Air Force Base, where Air Force One is stationed.

He also takes Marine One to Camp David, the presidential retreat in western Maryland. While Air Force One takes him to airports, Marine One is used for local travel in the places he visits, especially when helicopters are better suited, such as for surveying areas after disasters.

Why Marine One carrying Trump made emergency landing

The helicopter transporting Trump had to change course and land at Luton Airport.

Karoline Leavitt said the aircraft landed at a “local airfield” because of a “minor hydraulic issue” and later reached Stansted Airport about 20 minutes late.

She added that the step was taken “out of an abundance of caution” and said the president and first lady “safely boarded the support helicopter”.

This precaution came as Trump was getting ready to depart the United Kingdom at the end of his second state visit of the year.

Officials said both Trump and Melania Trump were unharmed. They continued their trip on another helicopter from the presidential fleet.

The incident happened barely a day after another safety scare involving the US president. On Monday, a Spirit Airlines flight caused concern when it came unusually close to Air Force One in New York airspace.

As per recordings obtained by BBC, air traffic controllers issued repeated warnings to the Spirit pilots, even saying: “Pay attention. Get off the iPad.”

Spirit Airlines Flight 1300, an Airbus A321 travelling from Fort Lauderdale to Boston, came near Air Force One, a Boeing 747 carrying Donald Trump and Melania Trump as they were on their way to the United Kingdom for a state visit.