The US Air Force and Boeing have revealed what the new Air Force One aircraft will look like – with minor changes to the existing color scheme.
Both VC-25Bs – a heavily modified Boeing 747 – have the familiar duck egg blue, gold and white livery commissioned by former First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy-Onassis.
Officials say the blue is slightly darker than the outgoing version. The light silver sections shelling the body of the existing aircraft have also been scaled down.
The pair of planes are expected to cost $3.9 billion — far more than a regular 747-8, which used to retail for about $420 million, but they will feature sophisticated technology that will effectively make them a flying one White House will make.
The new color scheme scraps the darker red, white and blue livery proposed by former President Donald Trump.
A rendering provided by the US Air Force shows the new livery design for the new Air Force One, chosen by President Joe Biden
Biden is sticking with a blue and white color scheme for the exterior of the upcoming new version of the Air Force One
In 2018, President Donald Trump came up with a “patriotic design” using red, white, and blue
A model of Trump’s proposed Air Force One is on display in the Oval Office in June 2019
Trump considered four different color schemes, preferring a red, white, and blue design with blue engines. Trump said the redesign was ‘stronger’ and ‘actually nicer’
Trump’s preferred “patriotic color scheme” was rejected last year because Boeing said it would require additional engineering and increase construction time and costs.
The dark blue color threatened to overheat sophisticated electronic components on board and would have required additional qualification testing from the Federal Aviation Administration, the Air Force said.
It has also been claimed Trump’s proposals could jeopardize the plane’s safety, as the sky-blue color on its underside helps camouflage it from potential enemies on the ground.
Trump spokesman Steven Cheung couldn’t resist attacking Biden after turning away from Trump’s patriotic color scheme.
“Sounds like Joe Biden isn’t a fan of red, white and blue – the colors of the American flag.”
The existing Air Force Ones were introduced during the 1990 presidency of George HW Bush. And while they’ve been immaculately maintained and updated, airliner airframes weaken a little with each flight into the skies, meaning the jets will always eventually need a replacement.
The “Next Air Force One,” as it’s dubbed, will largely feature the same colors as the aircraft it replaces, with a subtle change in the shade of blue around the aircraft’s nose and engines, which will be a slightly darker color.
Overall, the scheme stays true to the design that Air Force One has worn since President John F. Kennedy was in the White House 60 years ago and that then-First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy advised on the design.
President Joe Biden selected the new livery to enable Boeing to perform engineering, certification preparation and more for the VC-25B aircraft, which is a modified Boeing 747-8i.
Although the modified 747s are commonly referred to as Air Force One, the name is actually applied to any aircraft the President travels in.
The Air Force also announced that the first VC-25B would be delivered in 2027 and the second in 2028.
The newly chosen livery will not add any additional costs to the aircraft price.
Overall, the scheme stays true to the design that Air Force One has worn since President John F. Kennedy was in the White House 60 years ago, with the advice of First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy
A rare color image showing John and Jackie Kennedy in front of the Air Force One design they oversaw. The photo was taken as they landed in San Antonio, Texas the day before JFK was killed. Air Force One was then a Boeing 707
Air Force One, a Boeing VC-137C, in the final assembly phase at Boeing’s Renton Washington facility in 1962
Ariel view of Air Force One in flight over Virginia in 1977. The aircraft entered service in 1972 and retired in 2001
History of Air Force One
In 1943 officials became concerned that the President was traveling on commercial airlines.
A C-54 Skymaster was converted for Presidential use and carried Franklin D. Roosevelt to Yalta in 1945 before being used by Harry Truman.
The call sign was created in 1953 after a Lockheed Constellation named Columbine II was nearly destroyed.
Dwight Eisenhower was on board when air traffic controllers confused the flight numbers of Eastern Airlines Flight 8610 and the presidential plane, then called Air Force 8610.
Officials thought it wise to use the name “Air Force One” to prevent such an occurrence in the future
The first Lockheed Constellation was replaced by another, Columbine III, and then by two 1960s Boeing 707s.
Two custom Boeing 747-200Bs have been in service since 1990.
Boeing first made a deal with then-President Trump for two new aircraft.
Trump wanted the plane to be ready by 2021, but the project faced several delays, including the pandemic, staff shortages and design timelines.
Last year, Boeing CEO David Calhoun said the $3.9 billion deal Boeing signed to build the planes was a mistake for the company as it suffered losses since the deal with the Air Force from 2018 ‘involved a very unique set of risks that Boeing probably shouldn’t have taken.’
Trump was very hands-on when it came to Air Force One’s redesign, meeting with Boeing executives at the White House to seal the deal.
“Air Force One is going to be incredible,” Trump said at the time. “It will be the top of the line, the top of the world. And it will be red, white and blue, which I think is appropriate.
The Presidential Plane contains secret communications equipment that allows the President to be in constant communication with the outside world and features special items such as an operating theater.
It has a private office and conference room for the President. If necessary, a president could launch a nuclear war from his plane.
Unlike a regular 747, the aircraft has its own retractable stairs for the rear and front entrances. And a dedicated luggage loading facility so it can be fully self serviced if required.
It also has an on-board refueling system that allows it to remain airborne indefinitely.
The updated aircraft will also have updated security features, many of which are classified.
National Geographic experts speculated that the plane would be fitted with decoy flares to deflect heat-seeking missiles and that it would have high-tech lasers that could not only disable a guided missile’s tracking system, but actually destroy it in flight.
New wiring was installed to allow the aircraft to withstand electromagnetic interference, allowing Air Force One to continue operating even with a nearby nuclear explosion.
The new wing shape will also allow the planes to take off and land on shorter runways.
Air Force One’s new kitchen will allow personnel to serve 2,000 meals on an overseas voyage and prepare fresh meals in-flight.
Once all the additional elements are in place, the two aircraft that will serve as Air Force One will undergo two years of flight testing.
Since the 1940s, seven different types of aircraft have been specially developed to transport the American President.
The current livery of Air Force One dates from the 1960s and the two 747s currently used as Air Force One date from the 1990s
President Joe Biden disembarks Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews after traveling to Virginia Beach, USA last month on his way back to the White House
A welcome mat from one of the two 747s currently operating as Air Force One. These planes have been flying the President since the 1990s
MEET THE NEW AIR FORCE ONE – THE FASTEST AND BIGGEST BOEING 747 EVER
The USAF says the light blue of the new model of the modified 747 carrying the President will be slightly deeper and more modern in tone than the current Robin’s Egg blue
Two Boeing 747-8s will be modified to replace the President’s existing fleet of 747-200s, designated VC-25A by the Air Force.
The aircraft are expected to enter service by 2027 and will be designated the VC-25B. This is how old and new compare.
span
Boeing 747-200: 95 feet 8 inches
747-8: 224 ft 5 in
length
747-200: 31 ft 10 in
747-8: 205 ft 2 in
top speed
747-200: 0.85 Mach – 644.5 miles per hour
747-8: 0.855 Mach – 656.0 miles per hour
Area
747-200: 6,375 nautical miles – Washington DC to Tokyo equivalent
747-8: 7,730 nautical miles – Washington DC to Hong Kong equivalent
An artistic sketch of what the President’s office could look like on the new Air Force Ones, which aren’t expected to come online until 2027
A worker walks around the bottom of one of the 747-8s currently under construction to become the new Air Force Ones
Here’s what the upgraded presidential conference room could look like on the two new planes, which aren’t expected to enter service before 2027
Footage shows Trump asking for the new Air Force One’s beds to be queen-sized instead of twins
The current layout of the Presidential bedroom has two single beds that convert into seating
One upgrade Trump requested was for Air Force One to have a larger bed, a queen-size bed, compared to the two fold-out beds now available in the President’s bedroom
A National Geographic documentary, The New Air Force One: Flying Fortress, features behind-the-scenes footage of the two new 747-8s under construction
Maximum load at start
747-200: 833,000 pounds – 427.5 tons
747-8: 987,000 pounds – 493.5 tons
facilities on board
Travel in style: President Obama in the conference/dining room of the 747-200
747-200: In-flight refueling; self-contained baggage loading facility; two galleys for 100 meals in one sitting; Capacity for 3,000 frozen meals in five coolers; conference/executive dining room; separate office for the President; Sitting area that converts into a bedroom for the President and First Lady; shipboard hospital; offices for staff; crew rest area; Business class style cabin for reporters.
747-8: Specifications are yet to be released, but additional floor space — the upper deck is more than twice the length of a 747-200 — means more room for conference and relaxation areas. 747-8s may allow additional rest areas above the rear passenger floor, referred to as a “crown”.
service history
747-200: Commissioned by Ronald Reagan, commissioned in 1990 and carried Presidents George HW Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama and Donald Trump. You will fly the winner of the 2020 election.
Obama On Board: The 44th President was one of five to fly the 747-200. If Trump loses in 2020, that number will rise to six
Personal Room: Laura Bush and her husband President George W. Bush in the President’s and First Lady’s Quarters
747-8: The need for new presidential aircraft was first written in 2009, and three were requested. Airbus A380s were also considered, but their manufacturer was not considered. The last order should be delivered in 2024
Who else has one?
747-200: There are no other known VIP 747-200. No 747-200s remain in scheduled commercial passenger service
747-8: Current owners of VIP 747-8 believed to be: Qatar, four, one reserved for the Emir; Kuwait, one; Sultan of Oman, one; Sultan of Brunei, one; Morocco for use by its king, one; United Arab Emirates, seven; Hong Kong real estate magnate Joseph Lau