Pentagon picks new Air Force One Plane

[Marko]

New Air Force One will carry a powerful legacy - CNN.com

(CNN)Imagine putting wings on the White House and getting it to fly around the world.

It's been done. That's basically Air Force One in a nutshell.

Now the Pentagon has announced the next generation of this world-class icon will be a military version of the 747-8. For nearly 30 years, the current jumbo jet Air Force One has been a customized version of the 747-200B. The newer 747-8 is longer and more efficient than its older brother.

Why is a new one necessary? "It is time to upgrade," Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James said in a statement Wednesday. The difference between the civilian version and what the President will fly on: the commander in chief gets a plane that's tricked out with top-of-the-line parts and backup systems. And a lot of technology that's -- well -- classified.

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[Marko]

 

[bikrboy128]

"time for an upgrade"
yay government waste.

 

[EmersonHart13]

It better have those quick take off assist rockets like the blue angels air show plane.

 

[hj16]

"time for an upgrade"
yay government waste.

The current Air Force One fleet was built in 1986. Its not like they were simply missing that new plane smell.

 

[VenomousDSG]

There goes another billion dollars down the drain.

 

[Stink Star]

The current Air Force One fleet was built in 1986. Its not like they were simply missing that new plane smell.

That is practically brand new when it comes to commercial airliners. Not to mention it has been more meticulously maintained and upgraded more than any plane in history

 

[Ti28]

If that's the fucking layout on the old one, the new one being bigger is crazy!

 

[VenomousDSG]

 

[Marko]

There goes another billion dollars down the drain.

Probably two billion

 

[nos4blood70]

They should give us the old one, TCG official plane.

 

[ChrisRac]

I know there's a SCIF on there somewhere which is not easy to build. Nevermind putting one on a plane.

 

[PANDA]

Waste of money. I bet this 30 year old current plane is minty and gets completely rebuilt every year anyway.

 

[Turbocharged400sbc]

I bet they want the newer bigger plane for the onboard laser defensive system and 24 inch rims

 

[Marko]

By the time the new planes are built and ready, Obama won't be president anymore.

 

[EmersonHart13]

Will the next president even fly in them?

 

[importcrew]

It's going to look like this:

 

[hj16]

That is practically brand new when it comes to commercial airliners. Not to mention it has been more meticulously maintained and upgraded more than any plane in history

Even with maintenance and upgrades, it will not be a capable aircraft 10-20 years down the road. The new technologies and materials used in the 748 will allow for the new Air Force one to operate at the highest levels for decades into the future. Additionally, the production life of the 747 is nearing its end, as orders have come to a near halt. The Air Force requires a four engine aircraft to operate as Air Force one for redundancy sake... and when the 747 is no longer around that means going to French owned Airbus, or retrofitting a fucking Globemaster.

 

[Stink Star]

Even though Airbus is French, I really wanted to see an A380 as Air Force one. I guess landing weight would have been an issue though

 

[Primalzer]

Yeah, I read this won't even be ready until 2022 or something. Plus they canceled the orders for the 18 new presidential helicopters that Bush ordered .

The Air Force says the contract with Boeing hasn't been finalized yet, but the Pentagon has earmarked $1.65 billion for the project. Air Force One isn't just a normal plane; it features equipment for in-flight refueling as well as secure communications and electronic countermeasures and it needs a lot of power generation and cooling to run all that.

President Obama won't be the one to get these fancy new digs, however; Bloomberg says no new planes will go into service until at least 2023. But his administration, and that of his successors, will be under great pressure to keep costs down; the Pentagon had to to cancel a $13 billion effort to buy a new fleet of presidential helicopters in 2009

http://foxtrotalpha.jalopnik.com/the-next-air-force-one-will-be-a-boeing-747-8-1682389318

 

[Flyn]

$228,288 per hour to fly Air Force One.

Under Obama, Air Force One cost per hour jumps 27% to $228,288 | WashingtonExaminer.com

The president spent over $7.3 million on just three trips in 2013, including $2.1 million to appear on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” in August, according to new flight documents provided by the Air Force to a public watchdog group.

Judicial Watch told Secrets that the sky-high jet travel costs for the first family's 2012-2013 Christmas vacation in Hawaii, their beach vacation on Martha's Vineyard last summer and President Obama's brief trip to California in August totalled $7,396,531.20.

 

[ChicagoSRT8]

I didnt see a champagne room in the graphic above....

 

[Ti28]

$228,288 per hour to fly Air Force One.

Under Obama, Air Force One cost per hour jumps 27% to $228,288 | WashingtonExaminer.com

Mother of god!!

 

[guspech750]

Current President should ride in the back of a Greyhound bus or Cessna.

 

[Typhoon]

It doesn't matter how meticulously the mechanical components have been maintained. You can only put so many hours/cycles on a airframe before its reached the end of its service life.