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Old 21st September 2017, 01:28 PM
Greg Hyde Greg Hyde is offline
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Default New AF1 Contract Awarded

From Airforces Monthly Oct 2017

USAF awards Air Force One contract THE USAF awarded Boeing a contract modification on August 4 to purchase two second-hand 747-8s to be modified as future Air Force One aircraft – following a set of awards in 2016 for riskreduction activities.

“Purchasing these aircraft is a huge step toward replacing the ageing VC-25As,” said Maj Gen Duke Richardson, the Presidential Airlift
Recapitalization programme executive officer. “This award keeps
us on track to modify and test the aircraft to become Presidential
mission-ready by 2024.”

The USAF has already asked Boeing to provide proposals to design, modify, test and field two Presidential missionready aircraft.

The programme expects to begin aircraft modifications in 2019 and reach initial operational capability in 2024.

The two 747-8s have been in storage in the Mojave Desert since their original buyer, Russian airline Transaero,went bankrupt.

Federal Aviation Administration-certified commercial 747-85M N895BA, one of two airliners that will be modifed to replace the pair of VC-25A (Boeing 747-200) Presidential support aircraft
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