New Air Force One: What changes in the US President’s aircraft and why

The new Air Force One, or VC-25B, will be a modified Boeing 747-8i. The current Air Force One, or VC-25A, is a modified Boeing 747-200. There are two aircraft in the current fleet and Boeing is modifying two 747-8i to replace the aging aircraft.

New livery

“While accounting for the VC-25B’s larger 747-8i aircraft, the VC-25B livery has three primary differences with the VC-25A’s livery. The light blue on VC-25B is a slightly deeper, more modern tone than VC-25A’s robin’s egg blue. Additionally, the VC-25B engines will use the darker blue from the cockpit area vice the VC-25A’s robin’s egg blue. Finally, there is no polished metal section on the VC-25B because modern commercial aircraft skin alloys don’t allow for it,” according to a US Air Force press release.

Current livery

The current robin’s egg blue-and-white livery goes back to the Kennedy era. Urged by First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy, Raymond Loewy designed the livery of the VC-137C, a modified Boeing 707, which served as Air Force One.

Trump’s livery

Trump favoured a red-blue-white livery for the future Air Force One, the top portion of the plane white and the bottom portion dark blue with a deep red stripe running from the cockpit to the tail.

“The Air Force previously displayed a red, white, and blue livery for the VC-25B because it had been publicly expressed as a preferred livery in 2019. A thermal study later concluded the dark blue in the design would require additional Federal Aviation Administration qualification testing for several commercial components due to the added heat in certain environments,” the Air Force press release said.

Ageing fleet

“The VC-25B aircraft will replace the current VC-25A fleet, which faces capability gaps, rising maintenance costs, and parts obsolescence. Modifications to the aircraft will include electrical power upgrades, a mission communication system, a medical facility, an executive interior, a self-defense system, and autonomous ground operations capabilities,” according to the press release.

The first VC-25B is likely to be delivered in 2027 and the second one in 2028. The VC-25A, the current Air Force One, has been ferrying US Presidents since George H W Bush.

The new Air Force One will be a modified Boeing 747-8, the last 747 variant. Boeing has ended the production of the 747, delivering the last aircraft to airline holding company Atlas Air Worldwide on January 31 this year.