Air Force One, the official United States presidential jet, touched down back in DC on Wednesday after it was forced to pull a U-turn over the Atlantic Ocean due to “a minor electrical issue.” US President Donald Trump and passengers are being offloaded and will soon continue their travel on another plane to attend the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
The current Air Force One planes are Boeing 747-200B originally designed in the 1960’s, Models the government purchased entered service in 1990 and 1991, meaning they are over 30 years old . Worth $15 million at best. And well past their useful life. In fact the flying junks are relegated to flying cargo regarded as to old and to dangerous for passenger flights.
Boeing received a sweetheart $3.9 billion contract to build two new Air Force One planes. Two billion dollars per plane that is already obsolete and sell for $400 million dollars. The 747-8 aluminum is a outdated and out of production. It’s a ten years old updated redesign. They have been out of production since 2023 . Originally, they were to be delivered to the airforce in 2024 , But delivery is now delayed , with the first plane expected around 2028.
The outdated junk 747-8 aluminum. Has been replaced by the 777X series which is much lighter. Utilizing carbon fiber a revolutionary new design to replace aluminum and is more fuel efficient and faster. Only requiring two modern high out put engines replacing the older technology planes. Which are much heaver and require 4 old type engines.
To add insult to injury the original contract for the “new” Air Force One was $3.9 billion, but due to delays and added costs, the total is now expected to reach around $5.6 billion. This means the cost increased by roughly $1.7 billion.