Boeing VC-25A VC-25B Air Force One

Will the new platform have IFR capability, or has the idea been definitively set aside?
 
alberchico said:
Here is what the new livery looks like on the 757 fleet. Are any of the two 747's scheduled for heavy maintenance within the next 3 years ? That might be a good opportunity to repaint them.

https://twitter.com/x/status/2023550771124658595
View: https://x.com/N214WN/status/2023550771124658595
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It's not a remarkable livery but at least it looks like it was designed for the 757, unlike the weird mutation previously carried which looked like something they hacked up when they realised they didn't have any stocks of Baby Blue left.

Just why weren't the C-32s and C-40s painted in the proper livery? It was designed for their fuselage dimensions!
 
Spook said:
Is it because it has never been used operationally, as mentioned in the previous messages and articles, or is it because of its cost?
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Cost. Its not meant to be used operationally unless things have gone Very Very Bad. Supposedly the real -25Bs have some provision that could allow it to be added in a reasonable refit. Graft Force One wont.
 
USAF Outlines VC-25A Retirement Plan

Under the new schedule, both will be retired in fiscal 2029 as the U.S. Air Force and Boeinghave said they expect delivery of the new 747-8-based VC-25Bs in 2028. Additionally, the 747-8 donated by the government of Qatar to serve as a “bridge aircraft” to the new fleet is expected to be delivered this summer. However, that aircraft has undergone significantly limited modifications compared to the VC-25Bs so it is not clear if it will serve the full, international Air Force One role or remain confined to American airspace.
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Additionally, the Air Force has outlined other changes to its VIP fleet under the budget plan. Four 737-based C-40C Clippers will be retired in 2028, along with eight Gulfstream C-37As and C-37Bs over the next five years. The service expects to field a new C-37C in its fiscal 2027 plan.
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I wonder what musuem those two 747s are going to end up in. I'm curious if the Qatar 747 will be slightly upgraded and relegated to carrying lower ranking officials such as the Secretary of Defense or State.
 
alberchico said:
I wonder what musuem those two 747s are going to end up in. I'm curious if the Qatar 747 will be slightly upgraded and relegated to carrying lower ranking officials such as the Secretary of Defense or State.
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Trump thinks he gets to keep using it after he leaves office.
 
alberchico said:
I'm curious if the Qatar 747 will be slightly upgraded and relegated to carrying lower ranking officials such as the Secretary of Defense or State.
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The article and quote kindly provided by @Flyaway are pretty clear: it could be restricted as a CONUS AF1.
 
The reality is that both will be VC-25B, based primarily on the airframe commonality (they're both 747-8s).

It's not like the operators or maintainers will have any confusion about which is which; I'm sure they track everything by tail number anyway given the miniscule size of the fleet.

They haven't even talked about designations for the two other 747-8is in the program, purchased for spares and training. Those could arguably be a TC-25B (the flying trainer) or GC-25B (the parts plane) but I expect they won't get official public designations at all.
 
TomS said:
The reality is that both will be VC-25B, based primarily on the airframe commonality (they're both 747-8s).
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They're both 747-8s on the outside, but very little alike inside. Much like an E-2D versus 2A.

In fact, to invert the argument, the 747-8 shouldn't even be in the C-25 MDS as it has nothing in common with the 747-200 except the windscreen and a few fuselage frames.
 
Kiltonge said:
They're both 747-8s on the outside, but very little alike inside. Much like an E-2D versus 2A.

In fact, to invert the argument, the 747-8 shouldn't even be in the C-25 MDS as it has nothing in common with the 747-200 except the windscreen and a few fuselage frames.
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All true, but again, the reality of how the system is being used these days argues otherwise.

Exhibit 1: The F/A-18 Super Hornet.

Exhibit 2: The OA-1K "Skyraider."
 
Kiltonge said:
Much like an E-2D versus 2A.
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More like E-2C versus E-2A, the E-2D is visibly different as it has eight-bladed propellors (And those propellor-blades are curved) versus the four-bladed propellors of the previous models.
 
Three Billion Dollars in cost overruns for Air Force One? That is unbelievable Forest Green.
 

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