Trump is actually saving the country money stop whining about the jet.

[Zincwarrior]

I thought there was probably more to the story than we were being told. There usually is.

Google Search

The following is a response to the question does Air Force One need to be replaced?

Yes, Air Force One needs to be replaced. The current fleet consists of two VC-25A aircraft, which are based on the older Boeing 747-200 model. These aircraft are nearing the end of their service life and are becoming increasingly expensive to maintain. The Air Force has been planning to replace them for years, and Boeing was contracted to convert two VC-25B jets from 747-8i airliners.

Here's why a replacement is necessary:

• • Age and Maintenance Costs:
    The current 747-200s are aging and becoming more expensive to maintain.
  • Technological Advancement:
    The new VC-25B jets will incorporate advanced communications and security features to better protect the President and ensure secure communication.
  • Operational Reliability:
    The new jets will be designed with improved reliability and efficiency compared to the current fleet.
  • Production Issues:
    The replacement project has faced delays due to production issues, wiring design problems, and other challenges.
  • Cost:
    The Air Force's budget for the project is projected to be nearly $4 billion.

The current replacement plans involve Boeing converting two existing 747-8i airliners into the VC-25B standard, but the process has faced delays and may not be completed until 2029.

Absolutely not. It has to be torn down and refit. As soon as he leaves office he is taking it with him. That means we STILL have to buy the Boeing already scheduled, but now have to pay hundreds of mil to retrofit this one too.

 

[TNHarley]

there is no legal way to accept a gift

yes there is. Its right there in the emolument clause you all keep posting about, that is completely unrelated to this situation.

 

[TNHarley]

he is taking it with him

Who said that?

 

[postman]

They started the project in Trump's first term and they still say they won't have it completed for 5 years... dump the deal and take the plane from SA....it does not take 15 years to build one jet....

And it's two jets, and to exacting standards for use by the president, from secure communications to an anti-missile defense system.

 

[WorldWatcher]

And it's two jets, and to exacting standards for use by the president, from secure communications to an anti-missile defense system.

And they didn't get to start the conversion until - IIRC - 2020.

WW

 

[Zincwarrior]

Who said that?

HE DID

 

[M14 Shooter]

As soon as he leaves office he is taking it with him.

Why do you keep repeating this lie?

 

[Zincwarrior]

Who said that?

He did.

 

[postman]

Absolutely not. It has to be torn down and refit. As soon as he leaves office he is taking it with him. That means we STILL have to buy the Boeing already scheduled, but now have to pay hundreds of mil to retrofit this one too.

Not just torn down and refit, but taken down to inspecting every cubic inch of the airframe for defects, or security breeches

The Thing (listening device) - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

The Thing, also known as the Great Seal bug, was one of the first covert listening devices (or "bugs") to use passive techniques to transmit an audio signal. It was concealed inside a gift given by the Soviet Union to W. Averell Harriman, the United States Ambassador to the Soviet Union, on August 4, 1945.

It hung in the ambassador's Moscow residential study at Spaso House for seven years, until it was exposed in 1952

 

[postman]

Why do you keep repeating this lie?

Actually it's to be transferred to Trump before he leaves office.

 

[Rambunctious]

And it's two jets, and to exacting standards for use by the president, from secure communications to an anti-missile defense system.

It still shouldn't take 12 to 15 years... so just stop.... they don't like Trump at Boeing... and they are butthurt he won....

 

[justoffal]

Absolutely not. It has to be torn down and refit. As soon as he leaves office he is taking it with him. That means we STILL have to buy the Boeing already scheduled, but now have to pay hundreds of mil to retrofit this one too.

Sounds like the refit on that fairly new jet is cheaper than the two Boeings that are waiting in the wings. Additionally they're not due for another 2 years. The two air frames they're using now are money holes. Is he taking it with him when he leaves office or is it going over to his institute after it's done with its service life and long after Trump will be dead?

So apparently Air Force One is a bit of a risk. Being near the end of its service life there is a greater and greater possibility of in transit failure.

 

[Zincwarrior]

It still shouldn't take 12 to 15 years... so just stop.... they don't like Trump at Boeing... and they are butthurt he won....

Agreed. I also think they just need to start with a Globemaster or Hercules and fit that up as they are already military aircraft with some of needed gubbins already, but no one asked me.

 

[Zincwarrior]

Sounds like the refit on that fairly new jet is cheaper than the two Boeings that are waiting in the wings.

They still have to retrofit those anyway - again he is taking the plane with him.

 

[justoffal]

Absolutely not. It has to be torn down and refit. As soon as he leaves office he is taking it with him. That means we STILL have to buy the Boeing already scheduled, but now have to pay hundreds of mil to retrofit this one too.

Well it stands to reason that Air Force One needs a hot spare.
Yes that's probably pretty expensive. I have some questions too about emoluments here. However I highly recommend you wait another 48 hours to get the whole story because I think we're only getting one side that suits a narrative.

 

[justoffal]

Agreed. I also think they just need to start with a Globemaster or Hercules and fit that up as they are already military aircraft with some of needed gubbins already, but no one asked me.

Shit... They should retrofit a c130! The goddamn thing would be like a flying Trump Tower! Hell you could fit a spare Senate chamber in there and still have room for their side pieces. And it already has plenty of defense! Lol

 

[postman]

It still shouldn't take 12 to 15 years... so just stop.... they don't like Trump at Boeing... and they are butthurt he won....

They could have done it sooner, if Trump didn't botch the response to COVID-19 and they had to virtually shut the place down, and then start the whole thing up again with a new supply chain problem.

It was Trump's own doing.

 

[justoffal]

They could have done it sooner, if Trump didn't botch the response to COVID-19 and they had to virtually shut the place down, and then start the whole thing up again with a new supply chain problem.

It was Trump's own doing.

Weak and pretty stupid. The only thing botched about covid was the face masks and the quarantines. Trump got duped by fauci into shutting the country down. All the data to date indicates there would have been no effect whatsoever on the death toll had we simply ignored the stupid mandates.
The disease was going to take the number that it was going to take regardless.

 

[Godboy]

1. The current 747s used as AF-1 are 40-years old.

2. Trump placed orders for two new 747s in 2015, delivery was promised in 2022. Then pushed back to 2029, and recently accelerated to 2027.

https://www.cnn.com/2025/05/08/business/boeing-trump-air-force-one

Boeing now plans to deliver new Air Force One jets in 2027, before Trump leaves office​

3. Qatar offered Trump a new 747 to be used as AF-1. It would need extensive upgrades before it could be used as AF-1. So here is a better option. sell the gift AF-1, use the $300m or so to help pay for the two new 747s due in 2027. Then send one of the old 747s being retired to the Trump presidential library, a win-win.

Thats a good idea. I agree.

 

[Zincwarrior]

Shit... They should retrofit a c130! The goddamn thing would be like a flying Trump Tower! Hell you could fit a spare Senate chamber in there and still have room for their side pieces. And it already has plenty of defense! Lol

Globemasters are just outright cool!