- Sputnik International
World
Get the latest news from around the world, live coverage, off-beat stories, features and analysis.

A New Air Force One: Military to Upgrade Aging Presidential Plane

© Flickr / gregdeAir Force One
Air Force One - Sputnik International
Subscribe
With the President’s personal aircraft aging, the US Air Force is accepting design proposals for its replacement.

There are currently two identical aircraft serving under the moniker of Air Force One. The pair of Boeing 747-200Bs, the first delivered in 1990, both feature all the necessary equipment to ensure that the aircraft can function as a mobile command center.

F-35 fighter jet is seen at Lockheed Martin's facility in Texas - Sputnik International
Out With the Old: World War II-Era Factory Retrofitted for F-35 Assembly

But these planes will soon be in need of major upgrades, and in an effort to ensure that the US President maintains state-of-the-art technology, the US Air Force has given Boeing permission to begin submitting design proposals for a replacement.

"The scope of the effort will include, but is not limited to, preliminary design activities required to begin development of two Presidential mission-ready aircraft, based on two Government furnished Boeing 747-8 Aircraft…" reads the Presidential Aircraft Recapitalization contract posted by the US Air Force.

The contract states that the new planes be flight-ready by 2024.

The third generation 747, the 747-8 is the largest variant. It features an upgraded wing design making the aircraft more efficient.

The US government originally requested three planes, but the order was subsequently downsized.

F-35 aerial refuel - Sputnik International
Connectivity Issues With One F-35 Could Spell Problems for Entire Fleet

The contract only includes modifications. A separate contract will be drafted for the acquisition of the aircraft.

"This effort entails a highly complex integration of extensive modifications and numerous subsystems which must seamlessly interface with each other and the 747-8 commercial aircraft systems in order to meet the Presidential 'no fail' mission," the contract reads.

Wags have already remarked that, if Trump wins the presidency, the upgrades will be unnecessary, as the candidate already has a plane.

Newsfeed
0
To participate in the discussion
log in or register
loader
Chats
Заголовок открываемого материала