Air Force Finds Cheap Russian 747s for Air Force One
In December of last year, then-president-elect Donald Trump tweeted that the projected cost of two new Air Force One aircraft was too high, and he threatened to "cancel" the order. The Defense Department then began a study to find ways to lower the cost of new presidential transport planes. After some searching, it sounds like the Air Force has found a solution in the form of two 747-8s that were abandoned by a defunct Russian airline.
A new report from Defense One indicates that the U.S. Air Force is finalizing a contract with Boeing to purchase two 747-8s that were previously owned by Russian airline Transaero. The aviation company was the second-largest airline in Russia for a time, but it went bankrupt in 2015. Two years earlier, Transaero ordered two 747s, but the struggling airline defaulted on payments to Boeing for the planes.
While Russia's largest airline, Aeroflot, absorbed most of the Transaero fleet, it did not opt to take the 747-8 orders. So Boeing picked up the two planes and flew them back to a storage facility at the Southern California Logistics Airport in Victorville, in the middle of the Mojave Desert. The facility is used as an aircraft boneyard where the arid climate helps prevent aircraft corrosion.
Now the Air Force is planning to buy the Transaero's old 747-8s for "a good deal," according to Defense One. The official purchase could be announced by the Pentagon as soon as this week. The final price for the aircraft will not be released, but the average price for a 747-8 is just shy of $387 million. The Air Force could pick up the two Transaero 747-8s for a good bit cheaper, however, considering they were previously delivered to Russia and currently reside in the boneyard where Boeing is paying to store them.
"We're working through the final stages of coordination to purchase two commercial 747-8 aircraft and expect to award a contract soon," Air Force spokeswoman Ann Stefanek said in a statement emailed to Defense One and Bloomberg.
The two likely-future-presidential-transport-aircraft are numbered N894BA and N895BA, according to Defense One. FlightAware route data shows the two 747s were last flown in February, when they traveled from Paine Field in Snohomish County, Washington, to their current storage facility in Mojave.
After the Air Force purchases the aircraft, it will still be a number of years before the two planes are ready to serve as Air Force One. Work to outfit the 747s with secure communications, defensive capabilities, and reinforced electronics to resist an electromagnetic pulse will follow as the Air Force takes bids from contractors to complete the modifications. The structure of the aircraft will also need to undergo significant modification as the standard fuselage interior needs to be ripped out and replaced with offices, conference rooms, and living quarters for the President and the First Family, as well as staffers, press and guests.
The two aircraft that currently serve as the primary presidential transports are highly modified 747-200Bs that have been in service since 1990. The Air Force needs to replace these planes with more modern technology and more efficient aircraft. The new Air Force One jumbo jets will certainly not be completed during President Trump's first term, though he might get a chance to fly on the blue-and-white 787-8s if he is elected to a second term.
Given the current requirements for Air Force One, including four engines and room for at least 70 passengers, the 747 is the only currently manufactured American-built option. However, 747 sales have been dropping, and Boeing doesn't expect to continue manufacturing the passenger version of the plane. Twin-engine aircraft, such as the 777 and 787, are more efficient and cost-effective for international airlines.
So it may be that the Air Force has found its last 747s to serve as Air Force One, just waiting for them in the Mojave Desert.
Source: Defense One
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