The Air Force awarded a $3.9 billion contract in 2018 to Boeing for a pair of modified 747-8s to replace the existing Air Force One aircraft based on the 747-200B that has been flying since the 1990s. Striking resemblance to Trump’s private 757 That he wanted to change up the traditional pattern, later telling Fox News “the baby blue doesn’t fit with us.” The new scheme bore a In February 2017, he announced on Twitter that the government had successfully reduced the price of the contract with Boeing by “over $1 billion.” Soon after, Boeing agreed to a fixed-price contract with the Air Force for the planes, meaning that the company would be responsible for any cost overruns. Trump got personally involved in negotiations for the replacement aircraft soon after he took office. The company on Friday referred questions on the paint job to the Air Force. The new paint decision is good news for Boeing, which would have had to pay out-of-pocket to fix the heating problem. The new planes aren’t expected to fly until 2026, according to Air Force budget documents. While the White House has not released a mock-up of the new Air Force Ones, which will consist of two modified Boeing 747-8s, it is likely they will revert to the classic JFK-era light blue and white scheme. “The Trump paint scheme is not being considered because it could drive additional engineering, time and cost,” said the administration official, who asked for anonymity to discuss an internal issue. In April, Boeing recorded a $660 million charge in its development of the plane.For this reason, the White House ultimately chose to scrap the Trump plan. Government Accountability Office (GAO) as a major schedule risk. The need for Boeing to switch to an alternative supplier for some interior work was also cited by the U.S. The Boeing 747-8s are designed to be an airborne White House able to fly in worst-case security scenarios, such as nuclear war, and are modified with military avionics, advanced communications and a self-defense system.Įarlier this week, a government watchdog said the planes face further delay risks because of a tight labor market for mechanics and lower-than-expected security clearance rates. The Pentagon said this year that the planes are not likely to be delivered until 2026.Ī Boeing spokesperson said it was making progress, "while navigating through some challenges." Boeing is heavily modifying a pair of 747s for the project. president, due to be delivered by December 2024. In 2018, Boeing Co received a $3.9 billion contract to build two 747-8 aircraft for use as Air Force One by the U.S. On Wednesday, an Air Force spokeswoman said darker colors, among other factors, on the underside of Air Force One "might contribute to temperatures exceeding the current qualification limits of a small number of components." The Air Force did not immediately comment.Ī spokesman for Trump, Taylor Budowich, criticized the decision and said, "it's no surprise (Biden) wants to remove the beautiful red, white, and blue design for Air Force One." "The Trump paint scheme is not being considered because it could drive additional engineering, time and cost," an administration official said on condition of anonymity. Trump, who left office in January 2021, wanted to change it to red, white and blue. The current exterior color scheme on the presidential aircraft, known as Air Force One when the president is on board, is white with two shades of blue and dates back to President John F. WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The Biden administration will scrap a paint scheme for Air Force One proposed by former President Donald Trump, after the Air Force determined the design would create too much heat for the presidential aircraft, a U.S.
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