Current Air Force One to be Replaced: 747-200 Upgrades Becoming More Expensive as Time Goes By

The Air Force is looking to replace the current Air Force One with a newer aircraft.

An exhaustive study found that the VC-25 (which is based on the 747-200 airframe) is due for extensive air control upgrades, air defense and communication upgrades, as well as increased maintenance costs. They're having problems identifying suppliers for needed parts to keep the aircraft ready to take off at a moment's notice. As the design gets older, the problems will get worse.

Boeing and Airbus are already working on designs for a new Air Force One that will be equipped for midair refueling, will have all the communication equipment, technology, room and defensive systems that will allow the President to run the country while he or she is airborne.

The plan calls for the first aircraft to be delivered in 2017; the second Air Force One sometime in 2019 and another in 2021 (the military currently has two Air Force Ones).

The two most likely contenders (the winner gets to build all three aircraft): the Boeing 747-8I and the Airbus A380. There's also speculation that the Boeing 777-300ER might be a contender.

The Boeing 747-8I:

The Airbus A380:

The Boeing 777-300ER:

It'll be interesting to see who builds the next Air Force One.

Boeing Loses Bid to Build Next Generation U.S. Air Force Refuelling Tankers: This is a Screwup on Boeing's Part

Boeing has no one to blame but itself for losing a $40 billion U.S. Air Force contract to build a fleet of airborne refueling tankers. The people who were in charge let the Boeing workers down big-time.

Here's why Boeing itself is to blame for this mess:

They had put in a bid to build a fleet of refueling tankers based on the Boeing 767. Their competition was Northrup Grumman, which is an affiliate of the European-based EADS company, which builds the Airbus aircraft. The Europeans proposed a design based on the Airbus A330.

The 767 is smaller than the A330, holds 14,000 gallons less, and has 21% less cargo capacity. Why didn't they field a Boeing 777 or one of the brand-new Boeing 787s against the Airbus?

Bigger is better when it comes to an in-air refueling aircraft.

The other big deal is that production of the Boeing 767 is winding down, in favor of the Boeing 787. If the Pentagon had chosen the 767, it would have driven up maintenance costs, as the Air Force would have had to pay for manufacturing of parts on it's own, rather than have the per-unit price be less if the aircraft and it's replacement parts were still in production, with other companies purchasing the planes and parts too.

I feel bad for all of the American jobs that will be jeopardized by this screw-up. And there's nothing wrong with the 767; it was simply the wrong aircraft to put up against the A330.

The good news is that the Air Force is planning three separate buys of tankers; Boeing lost the first round. They can try again in the second and third rounds.

I hope they get their act together.