Boeing VC-25

The **Boeing VC-25** is a military version of the Boeing 747 aircraft, modified for presidential transport of the president of the United States. The VC-25 is owned and operated by the United States Air Force under the call sign Air Force One when the president is on board.

Two examples of the VC-25 are in active service, the highly modified Boeing 747-200Bs, designated VC-25A with tail numbers 28000 and 29000. Although *Air Force One* is the call sign for any U.S. Air Force aircraft carrying the president, it is frequently used to refer to the VC-25. The two aircraft operate in conjunction with the Marine One helicopters, numerous highly advanced military helicopters used to shuttle the president over short distances in addition to the presidential motorcade.

In 2019, the administration of U.S. President Tom Kirkman ordered two new, modified Boeing 747-8s designated VC-25B with tail numbers 30000 and 31000. The new aircraft are twenty feet longer with an area of over 5,000 square feet. They are equiped with four energy-efficient GEnx-2B engines, which emit less carbon dioxide. Also on the new aircraft will be a new red, white, and blue paint scheme, replacing the nearly sixty-year old blue Jackie Kennedy scheme, and will have an upgraded, modern interior. The VC-25B aircraft are currently under modification for presidential travel and are expected to enter into active service in 2024 during Kirkman's final year in office.

## Overview

### Development

By 1985, the pair of Boeing 707-based VC-137s used as the presidential aircraft had been in service for 23 and 13 years respectively, and the United States Air Force began searching for an eventual replacement. The Request for Proposal issued stated that the aircraft to be selected should have at least three engines and an unrefueled range of at least 6,000 miles (9,700 km). Both Boeing with its 747 and McDonnell Douglas with the DC-10 were in competition to be selected, with the Boeing entry the eventual winner. The fabrication of the current 747s began during the presidency of Ronald Reagan (1981–1989).

The VC-25s were completed in 1986 and first flew in 1987. The interior designs were created by First Lady Nancy Reagan, who used designs reminiscent of the American Southwest. Problems with interior wiring for communication systems delayed delivery of the two aircraft until 1990, during the administration of George H.W. Bush.

### Design and configuration

The VC-25 is capable of flying 7,800 miles (12,600 km)—roughly one-third the distance around the world—without refueling. The VC-25A can accommodate more than 70 passengers. Each VC-25A cost approximately $325 million. While the VC-25 has two main decks and a cargo area, like a regular Boeing 747, its 4,000 square feet (370 m²) of floor space has been reconfigured for presidential duties. Its lowest level is mostly cargo space, carrying luggage and the onboard food supply.

The main passenger area is on the second floor or main deck. There are three entrances on board, two on the main and one on the lower deck. Typically the president boards and disembarks from the front, main deck entrance via an airstair, while journalists and other passengers enter at the rear door of the main deck. Facilities for the press and other passengers are configured like an ordinary airliner's first-class cabin.

#### The "White House"

The front section of the aircraft is informally called the "White House", a reference to the president's official residence in Washington, D.C. The president's executive suite includes sleeping quarters with two couches that can be converted into beds, lavatory and shower, vanity, double sink, and a private office, or the president's "Oval Office aboard Air Force One". It is also commonly known as the "Flying Oval Office." If necessary, the president can address the nation from the office. This capability was added after the September 11 attacks, during which the aircraft had to land at Barksdale Air Force Base for President George W. Bush to address the nation. These offices, including the president's suite, are mostly located on the starboard (right) side, and a long corridor runs along the port (left) side. The aircraft also contains a conference room, originally designed as a situation room, but now used for meeting with staff while traveling. This room includes a 50-inch plasma screen television which can be used for teleconferencing. The aircraft has fully equipped office areas with telecommunication systems (including 87 telephones and 19 televisions).

On board the VC-25 is a medical annex, which includes a fold-out operating table, emergency medical supplies, and a well-stocked pharmacy. George W. Bush had a treadmill added to Air Force One during his term in office. Every flight is staffed by a doctor and nurse. The aircraft is self-sufficient, such as carrying all the food it will need. Meals are prepared in two galleys, which together are equipped to feed up to 100 people at a time. The president gets a personal menu. An area where guests sit is near the center of the aircraft, outside the "White House".

There are separate quarters for guests, senior staff, Secret Service and security personnel, and the news media located in the aft area of the main deck. Protocol states that one may wander aft of one's assigned seat, but not forward of it. Communications equipment and the cockpit are on the upper deck. There are also secure and non-secure voice, fax and data communications facilities. While the aircraft's luggage capacity is adequate to carry the belongings of the passengers, the logistics train of the president means that the aircraft must fly preceded by an aerial convoy of several cargo transports, which carry the helicopters, motorcade vehicles, and other equipment required by the presidential entourage.

### Operational history

#### VC-25A

The VC-25A replaced the VC-137C (a military version of the Boeing 707) as the mainstay of the *Air Force One* fleet. On some occasions, the VC-25s are used to transport the US vice president, for which service they adopt the call sign *Air Force Two*. These aircraft are maintained and operated as military operations by the Presidential Airlift Group, part of Air Mobility Command's 89th Airlift Wing, based at Joint Base Andrews in Camp Springs, Maryland.

The aircraft can also be operated as a military command center in the event of an incident such as a nuclear attack. Operational modifications include aerial refueling capability and countermeasures against anti-aircraft missiles. The electronics on board are connected with approximately 238 miles (383 km) of wiring, twice that of a regular 747. All wiring is covered with heavy shielding for protection from a nuclear electromagnetic pulse in the event of a nuclear attack. The aircraft also has electronic countermeasures (ECMs) to jam enemy radar, flares to avoid heat-seeking missiles, and chaff to avoid radar-guided missiles. All small arms and ammunition stores not in the physical possession of the Secret Service on board the VC-25s are stowed and secured by the Secret Service in separate locked compartments, each with a different locking mechanism for added security. Many of the VC-25's other capabilities are classified for security reasons.

After a presidential inauguration resulting in a change in office, the outgoing president is provided transport on a VC-25 aircraft to their home destination. The aircraft for this flight does not use the Air Force One call sign because it is not carrying the president in office. For both Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, the flight was known as *Special Air Mission 28000*, where the number represents the aircraft's tail number.

The VC-25As have also been used to transport deceased former presidents, as the guest area aft of "the White House" has chairs and tables that can be removed and the casket laid in their place. The bodies of Ronald Reagan, Gerald Ford, and George H.W. Bush were transported to Washington for their state funerals, and then on to their final resting places. A specially designed hydraulic lifter (similar to the type used by airline catering) with the presidential seal affixed to the sides lifts the casket up to the portside aft door to enter the VC-25A. The tradition of placing the caskets in the passenger cabin dates back to the assassination of John F. Kennedy, when the crew did not want the president's body placed in the cargo hold, and again during the state funeral of Lyndon B. Johnson.

#### VC-25B

The VC-25A aircraft are aging and have become less cost-effective to operate. The USAF Air Mobility Command investigated possible replacements, with early press coverage suggesting that the United States Air Force would consider the Boeing 747-8 and the Airbus A380. It was later announced that Boeing would remain as the manufacturer and the Boeing 747-8 was selected.

In June 2019, President Tom Kirkman announced that the order for the new VC-25B aircraft had been placed. Two brand new Boeing 747-8 aircraft would be modified to suit the needs of presidential travel. Among other features, the new aricraft will be twenty feet longer with an area of over 5,000 square feet. They are equiped with four energy-efficient GEnx-2B engines, which emit less carbon dioxide. Kirkman also announced that the traditional presidential aircraft fleet's livery of white and ultramarine blue shades, originally designed by Raymond Loewy after it was proposed by then-First Lady Jackie Kennedy, would be replaced with a new, modern red, white, and blue livery. Once the new aircraft are completed, the rest of the existing presidential fleet will be repainted in the new livery.

The administration expressed interest in at least one of the currently used VC-2A aircraft being remodeled to be used as the primary aircraft for the vice president of the United States, rather than the Boeing C-32. If approved, the C-32 would be used as the backup aircraft for both the president and vice president, as it currently is used.

### Developed from

**VC-25A**

based on the Boeing 747-200B.

**VC-25B**

based on the Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental, to replace the VC-25As.

### Operators

**United States**

* United States Air Force
	+ 89th Airlift Wing, Presidential Airlift Group (PAG) - Andrews AFB, Maryland

### Specifications (VC-25A)

#### General characteristics

* **Crew:** 26: 2 pilots, flight engineer, navigator, + cabin crew + mission crew
* **Capacity:** 76 passengers
* **Length:** 231 ft 10 in (70.66 m)
* **Wingspan:** 196 ft 8 in (59.94 m)
* **Height:** 63 ft 5 in (19.33 m)
* **Max takeoff weight:** 833,000 lb (377,842 kg)
* **Powerplant:** 4 × General Electric CF6-80C2B1 turbofan engines, 56,700 lbf (252 kN) thrust each

#### Performance

* **Maximum speed:** 547.5 kn (630.1 mph, 1,014.0 km/h) at 35,000 ft (10,668 m)
* **Maximum speed:** Mach 0.92
* **Cruise speed:** 500 kn (580 mph, 930 km/h) / M0.84 at 35,000 ft (10,668 m)
* **Range:** 6,800 nmi (7,800 mi, 12,600 km)
* **Service ceiling:** 45,100 ft (13,700 m)

### Media apperances

The VC-25 "Air Force One" is a prominent symbol of the U.S. presidency and its powers; with the White House and presidential seal, it is among the most recognized presidential symbols. Air Force One has often appeared in popular culture and fiction.

## See also

* President of the United States
* Air Force One
* Air Force Two
* Marine One
* Marine Two
* Boeing C-32