Second-hand 747 becomes next Air Force One.
Boeing and United States Air Force has announced plans to take over two used Boeing 747-85M and develop it as the next generation Air Force One. The two Boeing 747s are registered as N894BA and N895BA. They are previously ordered by Russian airline Transaero, which went into bankruptcy due to financial difficulties. The first two of Transaero’s 747-8Is were already manufactured at Everett assembly line before the Russian airline declared bankruptcy. With no other customers emerged to buy the aircraft, Both 747s have been in storage at Victorville California Logistics Airport since February 2017.
(N894BA and N895BA in storage : photo by R.Bexten )
The USAF declined to disclose the costs of the aircraft. However, the Air Force is believed to have received a significant discount on the 747-8I's list price of $386.8 million. Boeing has been paying to store the two 747s in new condition while searching for a buyer, which allowed the Air Force to negotiate a good deal for them, sources said. It’s similar to the way car dealers discount new vehicles from the previous year when new models hit the lot.
The US Air Force expects conversion process of the two 747s to begin in 2019 and are set modifications will include a mission communications system, electrical power upgrades, a medical facility, an executive interior, and a self-defense system. The two modified 747-8s are set to enter service in 2024 — at which point the current pair of Boeing 747-200-based VC-25A will be 34 years old, which is well beyond the average lifespan for commercial jetliners. Transaero was the second largest Russian airline before it ceased operations and had operated scheduled and charter flights to over 150 domestic and international destinations, with main hubs at Moscow and Saint Petersburg Airport. Most aircraft in Transaero’s fleet are Airbus/Boeing aircraft with their three Tupolev TU-214 being the only exception.
In 2015 the airline ordered four Airbus A380-800s with a dense seating configuration for 652 passengers (12 first class, 24 business, 616 economies). The A380s are intended to operate on Moscow to New York and Vladivostok routes. Since Transervo collapsed, Aeroflot holds a monopoly on the popular New York-Moscow route, flying three times daily with 77W and A330-300. However, due to rouble’s (Russian currency) devaluation and a shrinking market for tourism from Russia, Transervo faced financial difficulties quickly after making the jumbo orders and had asked Airbus to reschedule the delivery of the first A380 beyond 2015. Unfortunately, the A380s were never delivered to this Russian carrier. Typically, an airline makes a 1 percent down payment when it orders a plane, then pays the balance in installments. Transaero did not fulfill its scheduled payments, according to an industry source.
While Aeroflot absorbed many of Transaero's employees and aircraft after it went into bankruptcy, it declined to take on its fleet of costly jumbo jets. This included the four 747-8Is the defunct airline had on order with Boeing. Unfortunately for the airplane maker, two of the four Transaero planes had already been built. So instead of delivering the planes, Boeing completed flight testing for their unwanted 747-8Is and sent them to the California desert where they have been waiting for a new buyer. The hot, dry air at Southern California Logistics Airport prevents corrosion of aircraft and has been occupied by airlines including FedEx and Cathay Pacific.
(N894BA before paint job, doing paint job at Paine Field :Photo by KAPE Field Blog) Finally. The two 747s are now destined to take on the call sign, Air Force One.
An iconic blue-and-white paint job is the first step to transform a normal 747 to American presidential jetliner. After that, Air Force will take ownership of the planes over Boeing and fit them with a state-of-the-art communications system, defensive countermeasures, and hardening to withstand an electromagnetic pulse caused by a nuclear explosion. New custom interiors will have conference rooms, offices and seating for White House staff, guests, and journalists. Similar to the current 747-200s, the new 8 series plan to have a capacity of 70 people. The Air Force declines to reveal exact configuration of the aircraft.
(Current Air Force One configuration)
Two food-preparation galleys will be found on the lower deck, with a medical operating room and a doctor on board every flight — just in case. Unfortunately, in an effort to cut costs, Air Force has decided to strip the ability for 787-8Is to do aerial refueling. This is because standard 787-8i already has the range to reach all by some parts of Asia from Washington, D.C. With the reduction in weight on Air Force One when compared to other commercial 747-8i, this means aerial refueling will not be playing a significant role to extend range. Sources say that even with the current range of VC-25A, there is not much need for in-flight refueling. One of the few aerial refueling incidents recorded is when President George W. Bush traveled to Baghdad, Iraq for a surprise visit in November 2003, where a night linking did not allow enough time to refuel on the ground.
Other modifications include a commercial grade environmental climate control system which will include air filtration and recycling components. While some may think that this brings additional risk, Air Force hinted this technology will be made reference to current Boeing 787’s systems which are considered to be mature.
At present, during domestic flights, the Air Force usually dispatches one of its secretive C-20C aircraft to shadow Air Force One. But this small business jet-sized aircraft is a poor substitute for Air Force One and wouldn't be able to provide nearly the same capabilities or protection during a major incident, such as a nuclear attack. The whole Air Force One flight is considered a military operation. If the president is leaving the White House, a Marine One helicopter usually flies the president to Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland. While in the air, Air Force One has hidden electronic jammers and flares that can be deployed to divert heat-seeking missiles, according to the Defense Media Network.
(Photo by The Drive)
According to sources, Boeing gave Trump four separate options for how to go about purchasing the pair of new Air Force Ones, ranging in cost from approximately $4.2 billion to $2.28 billion. The Air Force subsequently rejected every single one of the plans, including the most expensive, which involved purchasing two new 747-8i aircraft, but only equipping one with the full “presidential cabin configuration.”
(“Presidential cabin configuration” on current Air Force One)
Another proposal is to ditch the 747 for the B-21 Raider, a long-range bomber aircraft under development by Northrop Grumman. The sharp, angular design of the B-21 is based on the B-2, which was created in the late 1980s and introduced in 1997. The new B-21, which was revealed 2 years, improves on invisibility to radar detection and provides unrivaled shielding against conventional and electronic attacks.
The conversion of two Boeing 747-8i into Air Force One will take over 5 years. This means that Donald Trump will not be flying on the new generation 747s unless he is elected to run another presidential term.
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