Four years ago workers at the UK and Italian plants of AgustaWestland, the Anglo-Italian helicopter maker, were celebrating after winning a share of a lucrative contract to design and build a new helicopter to carry the US president.

The decision in January 2005 to choose a consortium of Lockheed Martin and Finmeccanica, the parent of AgustaWestland, to build a fleet of VH-71 helicopters, known as Marine One when carrying the US president, was hailed as a breakthrough for a European defence contractor in the US.