A new Air Force One

A new Air Force One

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Air Force One

After long discussions and evaluations, the US Air Force has selected the Boeing 747-8 as the President’s next official plane.

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.

The current fleet of Presidential aircraft – which the Air Force calls the VC-25A – entered service in 1990, during the George H.W. Bush administration. The two planes – with tail numbers 28000 and 29000 – are highly modified examples of the Boeing 747-200B airliner.

Air Force One SAM 27000, the aircraft that had previously served seven presidents from 1972 to 2001, it is housed at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library near Los Angeles, California.

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air-force-one-image“The Boeing 747-8 is the only aircraft manufactured in the United States (that) when fully missionized meets the necessary capabilities established to execute the presidential support mission,” Air Force secretary Deborah James said in a statement.

Boeing’s main competitor for the contract was the European Airbus A380-800 superjumbo. It is considered the world’s largest passenger jet.

The US Air Force’s decision should come as welcome news for Boeing’s struggling 747 program. The company announced last month that it would slow production of the 747-8 due to lagging sales. Boeing has only 39 unfilled orders – 26 passenger versions and 13 cargo planes – for the 747, the Seattle Times reported. Although Boeing has sold more than 1,400 747s since its debut in 1969, the company did not record a single airline order for the aircraft in 2014.

According to Business Insider, contract details and costs of the new plane have not been released. However, the 747-8 Intercontinental airliner retails for $367.8 million.