The new Air Force One, US presidential aircraft, will display a livery similar to that adopted today by the VC-25A (Boeing 747-200) used since 1990.
The US Air Force (USAF) unveiled on Friday the paint scheme of the VC-25B, a presidential jet based on the 747-8i being converted by Boeing.
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The aircraft will display a blue that is a shade darker blue than that used on the VC-25, called “egg blue” by the USAF. Additionally, “there is no polished metal section on the VC-25B because modern commercial aircraft skin alloys don’t allow for it”, the corporation said.
The paint project differs completely from the layout proposed by former President Donald Trump, who had closed the contract for the two new Air Force Ones.
The republican intended to adopt a color scheme with red, white and a darker shade of blue than the current one.
The proposal was vetoed because the Federal Aviation Administration conducted a thermal study that reported a temperature increase caused by the dark blue and would require additional testing to determine if it would affect internal components.
The replacement of the VC-25A, which has been in service for 33 years, was justified by “capability gaps, rising maintenance costs, and parts obsolescence.”
The new Air Force One, in addition to being larger, will have upgrades to the electrical system, mission communication, the medical facility, executive interior, a self-defense system and autonomous ground operations capabilities.
However, unlike the VC-25A, the Presidential 747-8i does not have in-flight refueling capabilities.
Contracted in 2018 for $3.9 billion, the new VIP jet was supposed to fly for the first time in 2014. The program has already caused a loss of more than $1 billion for Boeing.
The first VC-25B is expected to be delivered to the US Air Force in 2027 and the second in 2028.
