There may be no larger symbol of government waste than the airplane that ferries the U.S. president around both domestically and on international trips. Or to be more precise, the two identical aircraft that are capable of doing so.
“Air Force One” is the call sign for any official aircraft that carries the American president, but for the last 15 years, those aircraft have been an identical pair of Boeing VC-25s, a specially modified version of the Boeing 747 that’s tricked out in a number of ways to enhance its defensive capabilities as well as provide the occupants on board — including the president — with some of the most modern and high-tech conveniences available anywhere in the skies.
The history of the commander-in-chief’s personal aircraft goes back to Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who was the first sitting president to fly in an airplane while serving in office. FDR was initially transported in a Boeing 314 “flying boat” seaplane that was chartered from the civilian airline Pan Am. The seaplane took FDR to the famous Casablanca World War II conference, among other destinations. In those days, creature comforts aboard the first presidential aircraft were few, and journeys in it took time. It took FDR three whole days to get to Casablanca, and the same amount of time to return. The only “luxury” the president was afforded was a customized cake given to him en route for his 61st birthday.
Since then, eight more aircraft were designated Air Force One at various times, from a Douglas C-54 Skymaster used once by FDR in 1945 to the present Boeing VC-25s in use today. Along the way, the plane’s appointments have become more sophisticated as the size and technology used aboard the aircraft have expanded to enormous proportions. It was the administration of President Ronald Reagan that ordered the current two VC-25 aircraft from Boeing at a cost of $325 million each. Delays kept the aircraft from service until halfway through the administration of George H. W. Bush in 1990.
These special airplanes are unlike any other jets in the world; they’ve had special configurations installed that include flying versions of the president’s Oval Office, complete with oversized desks and television camera setups to allow the president to address the nation from anywhere in the skies. This latter addition was made in the wake of the 9/11 terror attacks, after which then-President George W. Bush had to land at Louisiana’s Barksdale Air Force Base so he could speak remotely to the country following the tragic events.
The Boeing VC-25s feature a Raymond Loewy-designed paint scheme on their exterior and 4,000 square feet of floor area, plus cargo space. The front of the jets are referred to as “The White House” because they contain the presidential office, a living suite with sleeping quarters for both the president and the First Lady as well as a situation/conference room with a long oversized table, seats for eight people and perimeter seating for more than a dozen others. There are separate offices and other communication facilities, with a total of 19 televisions and 85 telephones.
The aircraft also sports a medical annex with an operating table, medical supplies and even a small pharmacy; a doctor and nurse are aboard every presidential flight. President George W. Bush added a treadmill to the plane for exercising during his time in the air.
Two galleys can prepare meals for up to 100 people, and the craft carries enough food to feed them for a week. Separate seats for 70 members of the press, presidential staff and the Secret Service are in the back of the plane. Special customized boxes of souvenir M&Ms are available for guests.
The current Air Force One can fly 7,800 miles without refueling. But if it does need to refuel, it can do so while in flight via military tanker aircraft, allowing it to remain in the air virtually indefinitely.
The planes are equipped with electronic countermeasures that can jam enemy radar and notify the crew of surface-to-air missiles. There are also flares that can be ejected to confuse heat-seeking weapons and chaff used to evade radar-guided ones. In addition, there are further defensive features of the aircraft that are classified. All the wiring on the plane is specially shielded from electromagnetic pulses that can radiate from nuclear explosions, and there are onboard compartments for small arms and ammunition carried by the Secret Service.
As of today, each hour of flying time for the VC-25s costs the U.S. $210,877.
All of this would seem to be fairly extravagant as far as transportation and what the president needs to do his job. The current Air Force One jets will be close to the end of their intended service lives as of 2017.
In 2015, it was announced that a pair of new Boeing 747-8 series jets would replace the VC-25s. The new aircraft would add 786 square feet of interior space, 1,200 more miles of range, 11,600 gallons of fuel capacity and the ability to carry an unknown number of extra passengers. To be sure, onboard defense and communications systems would also be updated for the most modern warfare and technological requirements that a president of the United States would need.
But the eventual cost of the new aircraft was reported to top $4.2 billion, of which $2.872 billion was merely for research, development and testing. Another $330.7 was deemed to be “Other” costs which did not include an additional $1.062 billion for the planes themselves. These costs would be paid out by the government between 2015 and 2021 when the second of the two jets would be put into service.
When the total price tag was announced, there were outcries from numerous quarters, including from President-elect Donald Trump, who tweeted, “Boeing is building a brand new 747 Air Force One for future presidents, but costs are out of control, more than $4 billion. Cancel order!”
Boeing responded that it’s under contract to determine what capabilities the new Air Force One will require but ignored the total cost figure cited by Trump, which was backed up by copies of the military’s procurement contracts with Boeing in the press. White House spokesman Josh Earnest claimed that Trump had gotten his figure wrong, but was also contradicted by the contract documents.
Trump spokesperson Jason Miller said that Trump’s wish to lower the plane’s development expenses is in line with “keeping costs down across the board with regard to government spending.” Trump later backed off his wish to cancel the program, saying, “I think it’s ridiculous… I think Boeing is doing a little bit of a number. We want Boeing to make a lot of money, but not that much money.”
Ultimately, it’s likely there will be a new Air Force One jet delivered. But when and how it will be developed is now in question. In the meantime, the current VC-25s will likely be kept in operation a bit longer than had been anticipated.
