US President Joe Biden has selected the livery design for the next Air Force One, the VC-25B, reports detailed on Friday.
The new paint scheme is not a large departure from the old design, but it will differ in three significant ways:
the lighter blue paint on the underside will be a deeper blue compared to the old design’s robin blue color
the engines will use the darker blue already used in the cockpit area
the polished metal sections of the underbelly will be removed because modern commercial planes use a skin alloy that does not allow it
The design will also be updated slightly to account for the new plane’s size, which is a modified Boeing 747-8i, slightly bigger than the old plane which was a modified 747.
The Air Force previously showed off a red, white and blue livery design for the VC-25B but a thermal study concluded that the dark blue in the design would have required additional testing because of added heat in certain environments.
“The VC-25B program will deliver a new fleet of aircraft to enable POTUS to execute the duties of Head of State, Chief Executive, and Commander in Chief,” the Air Force said in a statement. “The aircraft will be uniquely modified to provide the POTUS, staff, and guests with safe and reliable air transportation with the equivalent level of communications capability and security available in the White House.”
The VC-25B will replace the VC-25A, with the first plane expected to be delivered in 2027 and a second in 2028.