Trump unveils new Air Force One design plans

[Zippyjuan]

Only $2 billion a plane. Trump had been pushing it to be done before its currently scheduled completion date of 2024 so he could fly in it should he be re-elected to a second term.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-48625986

US President Donald Trump has revealed the renderings of the redesign of the presidential aircraft fleet, known as Air Force One.

The new design, which Mr Trump showed in an ABC interview, trades in the iconic baby blue and white exterior for more patriotic colours.

"There's your new Air Force One," he said, holding up the drawings of the red, white and blue planes.

The revamp would be the first since President John F Kennedy was in office.

Critics note a similarity between Mr Trump's private jet and the new aircraft design, which Mr Trump first announced last year.





The presidential fleet includes two identical jets, and whichever one the president is aboard is given the signal name Air Force One.

The current Boeing 747s have been in use for nearly three decades. The 4,000 sq/ft (1,220 sq/m) aircraft features three floors, armoured windows, medical offices and a kitchen that can feed 100 people at a time.

The two planes will also be Boeing 747s, which Mr Trump said he negotiated for a price tag of $3.9bn (£3.1bn). They are due to be delivered in 2024 and may not be put into rotation until after Mr Trump leaves office.

Mr Trump claims the new jets are much bigger and have "a much bigger wingspan" than the current models.

"I'm doing that for other presidents, not for me," he told ABC News host George Stephanopoulos.

The first Air Force One Jet, which was used by President Dwight Eisenhower starting in 1959, had a red and gold design.



President John F Kennedy changed the colours to the baby blue and white, which is still used today.

Russia, China and France also have presidential planes that are painted red, white and blue.

More at link.

[Pauls' Revere]

well, it pollutes less.

[phill4paul]

well, it pollutes less.

Won't hear any environmentalist praise him for it.

[eleganz]

When he was elected he already said he'd do it faster and under budget, but the TDS will always get ya.

[Zippyjuan]

When he was elected he already said he'd do it faster and under budget, but the TDS will always get ya.

He complained it could cost $4 billion for the two planes. Oddly, his numbers are pretty much that while technically below at $3.9 billion.

https://onemileatatime.com/trump-air-force-one-deal/

The deal is expected to be worth $3.9 billion, which is under the magic $4 billion price that Trump was hoping for.

While a 747-8 “only” costs about $350 million at list prices, the reason the US is paying almost two billion USD per plane is because of the R&D required, as well as how many modifications have to be made, which is where a majority of the cost comes from.

A White House spokesperson claims that Trump saved taxpayers about $1.4 billion USD thanks to his negotiations, though Politifact has a different take on this, based on a story they did last December following Trump’s Tweet:

The Air Force has published a budgetary document that says research, development, testing and evaluation of the new Air Force Ones — officially known as the Presidential Aircraft Recapitalization — will cost $2.87 billion between fiscal years 2015 and 2021. However, the project is expected to extend beyond 2021, and experts told PolitiFact it would likely require another $1 billion in subsequent years to finish the job. The Teal Group has estimated that the project will require an additional $858 million between fiscal years 2022 and 2026.

That adds up to a grand total of $3.73 billion over 12 years. That’s not “more than $4 billion,” as Trump said, but it’s reasonably close — and it’s no secret that defense contracts have a history of escalating in cost over time. Already, in response to inquiries from the media after Trump’s tweet, an Air Force spokesman told reporters to expect the interim $2.7 billion figure “to change as the program matures.”

So Air Force budgetary documents suggest that this should have cost no more than about $3.73 billion “all-in,” which is slightly less than than $3.9 billion that the US is now paying. Unless prices have gone way up in the past couple of months, I’m not sure where the $1.4 billion in savings come from.

Inflate the costs, then cut from there to a still higher price than what it would have been and declare how much money you are saving.

[timosman]

He complained it could cost $4 billion for the two planes. Oddly, his numbers are pretty much that while technically below at $3.9 billion.

https://onemileatatime.com/trump-air-force-one-deal/



Inflate the costs, then cut from there to a still higher price than what it would have been and declare how much money you are saving.

You need to take into account the inflation.

[Zippyjuan]

Boeing is not only selling Trump the planes, but they also gave him his current Secretary of Defense.

[dannno]

He complained it could cost $4 billion for the two planes.

No, he said over $4 billion. Sounds like he potentially saved a few hundred million.

[eleganz]

Boeing is not only selling Trump the planes, but they also gave him his current Secretary of Defense.

Back pedal

Back pedal

Back pedal

But, but Orange man, he's still bad though right?

...right???

[Zippyjuan]

No, he said over $4 billion. Sounds like he potentially saved a few hundred million.

He claimed to have saved $1.6 billion. That makes his inflated price $5.5 billion.

General Accounting Office had estimated the costs to be $3.2 billion. Trump agreed to $3.9 billion or $700 million more than that.

https://www.airforcetimes.com/news/y...air-force-one/

Air Force cancels $24 million refrigerator order for Air Force One


A $24 million dollar order of two refrigerators produced by Boeing and intended for operation on Air Force One was canceled by the Air Force and the White House Military Office.

The cancellation was announced on Monday in a statement by Rep. Joe Courtney, the ranking member of the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Seapower and Projection Forces, according to CNN. The cancellation was later confirmed by an Air Force spokesperson.

The order was created in December, when the Air Force ordered replacements from Boeing for two of the five refrigeration units aboard President Donald Trump’s presidential jet.

In January, Air Force spokeswoman Ann Stefanek told CNN that “although serviced on a regular basis, reliability has decreased with failures increasing, especially in hot/humid environments. The units are unable to effectively support mission requirements for food storage.”

The current units aboard Air Force One have been in use since 1990, and were part of the original equipment that was included with the delivery of the current jet that was put into service that same year.

The refrigerators aboard Air Force One must be able to carry 3,000 meals in order to feed passengers and crew for up to four weeks in case of any emergency that prevents the plane from landing, according to a previous report in Air Force Times.

The high price tag of the refrigerator order was due to Air Force One’s presence as a unique aircraft. The components require unique testing by the Federal Aviation Administration, the cost of which was included in the $24 million price tag.

The contract was canceled due to the looming introduction of the new version of the presidential jet. The Air Force announced a deal to purchase two new aircraft from Boeing in 2017 that will serve as the future Air Force One under the next several presidents. The planes, two 747-8 jets, will begin transitioning to the Air Force One configuration in 2019, with initial operational capacity slated for 2024.

According to a 2016 Government Accountability Office report, the cost of replacing the current Air Force One planes would be $3.2 billion over 10 years. According to Fortune, Boeing and the White House reached an informal deal that would cap the cost at $3.9 billion.

[jmdrake]

No, he said over $4 billion. Sounds like he potentially saved a few hundred million.

Why do we need new air force one planes at all?

[dannno]

Why do we need new air force one planes at all?

What else will they put in their library?

[jmdrake]

What else will they put in their library?

That's Reagan's Air Force One. But the current Air Force One goes back to George H.W. Bush. (See: https://www.whitehouse.gov/about-the...air-force-one/) That means that George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, Barack Obama and George W. Bush all used the same Air Force One. So....why does Trump need a new one? Is the last one broken?