The United States Air Force is getting some new presidential transport.
While the VC25Bs, which will be designated Air Force One when the president is onboard,
won’t be delivered until 2024, some details about the upgrade
are already in the public domain. Here’s what we know about the replacement Air Force One so far.
The US Air Force is sticking with homegrown planemaker Boeing to replace its two VC25As.
This time it’s opting for the latest version of the Queen of the Skies, the 747-8.
While any plane carrying the president is designated Air Force One, the two aircraft
most frequently assigned that callsign carry tail numbers 28000 and 29000. The
pair of modified 747-200s have been carrying VIPs since 1990
and have transported five presidents and numerous high-level officials over the past 30 years.
The original agreement to replace Air Force One aircraft was made under the Obama administration.
The Air Force selected Boeing to build a heavily modified version of its 747-8 in 2015,
but in December 2016, even before his official swearing-in, Donald Trump expressed his
dissatisfaction regarding the cost of the program. Holding numerous meetings with then Boeing
boss Dennis Muilenburg, the two settled on a figure of $3.9 billion.
In a statement at the time, Boeing said, “Boeing is proud to build the next generation
of Air Force One, providing American presidents with a flying White House at outstanding value
to taxpayers. President Trump negotiated a good deal on behalf of the American people.”
The White House claimed that President Trump’s strongarm negotiations saved the American taxpayer
some $1.4bn on the original estimate of a cost of more than $5bn. However, once all the costs
involved in the project are taken into account, including buying a new hangar for the planes,
the cost to the Air Force will be $5.3bn, and that’s before any overruns. Indeed, the
top-secret technical manuals, which will run to more than 100,000 pages, cost $84 million alone.
The new 747s are based on the Boeing 747-8. This model has taken the basics of the 747-400
and beefed it up with technology from the Dreamliner, giving it a greater range, better
fuel efficiency and increased passenger comfort. The 747-8 will fly further and faster than the
747-200, all with a smaller impact on the environment. According to Boeing,
per trip, the 747-8 emits 16 tons of CO2 less than the 747-200, although clearly,
this depends on the length of the sector. On the downside, reports suggest that the
VC25Bs will no longer have in-air refueling capabilities. The outgoing VC25As have a refueling
coupling on the nose of the plane allowing the president to stay airborne for long periods.
This has not been included in the specifications of the replacement jets,
probably because despite having this capability, the VC25As haven’t had to use it much, if at all.
While president Trump may not even get to fly the new Air Force One, depending on the outcome
of the impending election, he was keen to put his stamp on the new planes anyway. The iconic baby
blue is going out of the window by his hand, to be replaced with a red, white and dark blue livery.
Trump complained that the white and blue plane was ‘too Jackie Kennedy’,
which is partially true as the liveries were designed under the Kennedy administration.
However, they were actually created by design legend Raymond Loewy, famed for his industrial
creations and logos, including work for Coca-Cola, Exxon and the US Postal Service.
Boeing is looking to take until 2024 to complete the project. The airframes
themselves have been sourced and are already at Boeing’s modification facility in Texas.
To save a bit of money on a factory-fresh 747-8, Boeing sold the government two aircraft that
were built for Russian airline Transaero. The airline filed for bankruptcy before the
aircraft could be delivered and had been stored in California awaiting a new owner.
This will save the Air Force some cash, with a spokesperson telling Bloomberg,
“We got a really good deal… I’m pleased with that.”
While the finer details of what’s being done to the 747-8s is highly confidential,
we do know it will include: Electrical power upgrades
A mission communication system A medical facility
An executive interior Built-in retractable airstairs
And Defense systems such as missile warning systems, chaff dispensing systems
and directional infrared countermeasures Even if president Trump does win another
term in office, the jets won’t be delivered until the end of his presidency. Should the
project timeline slip at all, he will have left office before they arrive. All things considered,
it’s highly unlikely that Trump will be the first president to fly on the new VC25Bs.
Do you think the 747-8 was the right choice for the new Air Force One?
Let us know in the comments.