The president of the United States may get a new Air Force One jetliner -- that is, whomeverÂ’s president after the 2020 elections.
The Pentagon started a program yesterday to develop and buy replacement presidential aircraft for use a decade from now. Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition Frank Kendall authorized the Air Force to establish an office for the replacement program, which includes new Marine One helicopters available for use no earlier than 2020.
The first of two current VC-25A Boeing 747-200B aircraft that serve as Air Force One entered service transporting presidential parties in September 1990. The aircraft are expected to have 30-year service lives, the Air Force said.
The Pentagon has budgeted $757 million through 2017 for the first phase of the Air Force One replacement and $1.84 billion for the helicopter replacement through 2017 and most of the money would be spent after fiscal 2015, the official said.
The initial new Air Force One wouldnÂ’t be delivered for modification with specialized technology until 2019, according to the PentagonÂ’s latest 30-year aviation plan. A new presidential helicopter to replace the 35-year-old models now in service wouldnÂ’t be declared operational until 2020, followed by the new Air Force One aircraft in 2023, the official said, citing a formal schedule. |