Western reports revealed that the White House is preparing a new Air Force One for President Joe Biden, and the current plane is preparing for retirement after 30 years of serving 5 American presidents.
And the Air Force One, which means “Air Force One”, which carries the US president, there are two copies of it at Andrews Air Force Base, ensuring the presence of a backup plane for the president on a permanent basis.
The flying white house
And the American “Insider” website said, on Monday, that the Boeing 747 that transports the US president, known in the US Air Force as “VC-25A”, is preparing to retire after serving 5 presidents over nearly 3 decades.
Theodore Roosevelt was the first American president to board a presidential plane, on a short trip, in 1910, in a Right Flyer.
And the name “Air Force One” is just a nickname for any plane carrying the American president, which is blue and white and has produced more Hollywood than a movie.
And the “Flying White House”, as described by the “Insider” website, is preparing to enter a new era of the Boeing 747-8, noting that the new design is a huge technological leap.
The new planes are scheduled to enter service in 2024, and Joe Biden will be the first US president to fly on board.
Bigger than a basketball court
The modifications to the plane are usually kept secret, but the Simple Flying website said that they include improved communications, anti-missile defense systems, and sensors to turn the plane into a “flying white house”.
Its interior area is larger than a basketball court, and it is designed on 3 floors, with a total area of 370 square meters.
The plane has two wide wings, with a carbon fiber tip that tilts at an angle of 37 and a half degrees, which allows it to fly more quickly and allows it to take off and land on shorter runways, according to the website specialized in aviation affairs.
Four new generation GE engines also generate supersonic power, making it the fastest passenger aircraft on Earth.
In order for the new aircraft to live up to high military standards, technicians will integrate advanced communications technologies while at the same time changing the interior design and transforming it into a luxurious VIP cabin.
The iconic plane, which is called the “armored and armored plane”, is supported by a defense system to repel missiles and is capable of withstanding a nuclear storm. When the US President climbs on board, the radio signal “Air Force One” is given, while as his deputy ascends, the call symbol is “Air Force Two”.
According to Defense One, the new plane will cost more than $5 billion.
“The presidential plane serves as a command center, and the new plane is equipped with better systems, and it is a masterpiece,” says Jeff Underwood, of the National Museum of the US Air Force.
He added, in a press statement, “Despite the efforts of the US Air Force and the Trump administration to reduce the price, the price of the program will be at a cost of $5.3 billion.”
Super powers
Covering the plane’s hardened aluminum to withstand electromagnetic pulses from a nuclear explosion, the plane’s secure communications equipment allows it to serve as a roving command center or an oval office in the event the United States is attacked.
The President’s Suite occupies a place at the front of Air Force One, and is equipped with two sofas that convert into two double beds with a separate dressing room, toilet and shower, and a spacious office.
The plane also includes an additional meeting room, and rooms for seating employees, guests, secret intelligence personnel and the media, and transports about 76 passengers, who can watch movies, make phone calls and use the Internet from their seats.
The fuselage can also withstand a nuclear explosion occurring on the ground, and all its windows are fully armored against bullets and explosions.
The researcher in military affairs, Mina Adel, says that the new plane is the most costly aircraft in the world and the highest in the American air fleet, as the cost of one hour of flight in it reaches about 200 thousand dollars, a figure that the American strategic bombers did not reach, not even the command and control planes.
Regarding the secret of the high cost, he added to Sky News Arabia, “In addition to the luxury of the passengers, the plane contains an integrated and advanced operating room, navigation devices, multi-frequency communication systems to communicate with air and ground units, as well as satellite communication systems.”
As for the third reason, it is due to defensive alert systems to detect air threats, as they have means of passive and positive defense against various thermal and radar missiles, and a system that has a direct impact on the missiles and its purpose is to jam the guided missile heads,” according to researcher Mina Adel.