WASHINGTON (AP) – As he rages over the U.S. jet manufacturer's delays in delivering two specially modified planes for presidential use, President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday that he is thinking of purchasing old Boeing aircraft, maybe from an international seller, to operate as Air Force One while he is on board.
Trump told reporters on board one of the two Boeing 747-200s, which are about 35 years old, that "we're looking at alternatives because it's taking Boeing too long."
Trump remarked, "We might go and buy a plane," and then he could "convert it." He subsequently clarified that he would consider buying a used Boeing aircraft but was ruling out buying any Airbus aircraft, the only other producer of large wide-body planes worldwide. "I wouldn't think about Airbus. I might be able to purchase or obtain one from another nation.
Negotiated by Trump during his first term in office, Boeing holds the contract to create new versions based on the more modern Boeing 747-8, but delivery has been delayed, and the aircraft manufacturer has lost billions of dollars on the agreement.
The significant modifications made to the aircraft to meet the demands of presidential travel and the high-level security clearances needed for those engaged are what have increased the expenses and delays, not the aircraft themselves. Like the two current VC-25As, which were created during the Cold War, Trump has already abandoned the requirement that the new generation of aircraft, which will be called the VC-25B, be able to refuel air-to-air.
Additional changes include self-contained air-stairs that enable its usage in harsh landing conditions, survivability improvements for a variety of scenarios, and highly classified communications technology appropriate for the nation's commander-in-chief.
The U.S. Air Force said that the first jet will be delivered somewhere in 2027, and the second plane will be delivered in 2028, which is Trump's last year in office. Originally, the delivery was scheduled for 2024.
According to the White House, Trump visited a newer Boeing 747-800 aircraft on Saturday to examine new hardware and technological features and draw attention to the aircraft manufacturer's tardiness in delivering updated versions of the Air Force One presidential jet. While parked at Palm Beach International Airport, Trump paid a visit to the 13-year-old private plane that had belonged to the Qatari royal family.
Trump's consideration of buying and converting used planes to use as new presidential aircraft was initially reported by the New York Times.
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