The navy decision on Friday to award a share of the prestigious Marine One presidential helicopter deal to AgustaWestland raises the question of whether the US is becoming more fertile ground for European defence companies.

AgustaWestland and Lockheed Martin, its US partner, received a $1.7bn contract to build a 23-aircraft fleet of presidential helicopters. The transatlantic team delivered a stunning blow to Sikorsky, which had flown the US president since 1957 when it delivered its first chopper to President Dwight Eisenhower.