President Donald Trump said Wednesday aboard Air Force One that he was unhappy with planemaker Boeing. And his istration may have to take a different path with Air Force One.
The contract for two updated versions of the presidential plane based on the modern Boeing 747-8 was negotiated during Trump's first term.
The Boeing VC-25 is a military version of the Boeing 747 airliner, modified for presidential transport and operated by the United States Air Force (USAF) as Air Force One, the call sign for any U.S. Air Force aircraft carrying the President of the United States. It entered official service in 1990.
The aircraft can be operated as a military command center in the event of a nuclear attack. Operational modifications include aerial refueling capability and anti-aircraft missile defense. The onboard electronics are wired with approximately 383 miles (747 km) of wiring, twice as much as a regular 25. All wiring is covered with heavy shielding to protect against a nuclear electromagnetic pulse in the event of a nuclear attack. The aircraft also has electronic countermeasures to jam enemy radar, flares to deflect heat-seeking missiles, and chaff to spoof radar-guided missiles. All small arms and ammunition supplies not in the physical possession of Secret Service and Air Force security personnel aboard the VC-25s are stored and secured in separate locked compartments, each with a different locking mechanism for added security. Many other features of the VC-XNUMX are not disclosed for security reasons.
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