Video from Business Insider
Story from CBS:
More than “Hail to the Chief,” more than the ubiquitous Secret Service agents, even more than the famous seal, there is no more identifiable symbol of the mobile presidency than Air Force One.
“It has come to represent the power of the American presidency, the reach of the American presidency,” author Ken Walsh said. “It’s come to symbolize American technology and America’s technological prowess.”
But under their polished exterior, the two aircraft that commonly serve as Air Force One are aging, now a quarter-century old. Even though both Boeing 747-200s have only flown a fraction as much as a commercial 747 of the same age, the Air Force says it’s time for a new generation of presidential wings.
“We’ve got a pretty good size team working on it,” Air Force Col. Amy McCain said.
“The current airplane was fielded in 1991,” McCain said. “It’s the only 747-200 left in the United States that is flying. So it costs a lot more time and money to keep that airplane flying than it used to. It’s actually cheaper in the long run to replace it.”
In January, the Air Force announced its intention to use Boeing’s 747-8 airframe.
The long-range, wide-body aircraft is made in Everett, Washington. It comes with a longer fuselage, greater wing span and new engines and avionics. It will be heavily modified with all of the latest technological and security gear. But this symbol of America doesn’t come cheap.
Updated budget documents show the military’s request to Congress starts with $102 million this year, and the numbers quickly gain altitude to more than $3 billion in total in the next five years. And that’s not counting the final three years of the project.
The goal is to have the new 747s flying the president eight years from now in 2023.
Read more from CBS here and watch the video above to take a look inside the 4,786-square-foot, $367 million jet.
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