This handout image, courtesy of the Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs, released on March 10, 2023, shows a rendering of the livery design for the "Next Air Force One," VC-25B, selected by US President Joe Biden. (Photo by Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs / AFP)
Washington: The US president’s plane is getting a paint job - and it looks a lot like the old one.
President Joe Biden has selected a white, light blue and yellow scheme for a modern update to the fleet of Air Force One planes, which are specially modified Boeing Co. 747s. The decision scraps plans by former President Donald Trump - who has declared a renewed presidential bid in 2024 - to adopt the colors of the American flag: red, white and dark blue.
Those paint designs, particularly the proposed dark blue color, might have required "additional Federal Aviation Administration qualification testing for several commercial components due to the added heat in certain environments,” Air Force said in a statement.
Other upgrades will include a medical facility, a self-defense system, a mission communication system and an executive interior, according to the release. The models will have "the equivalent level of communications capability and security available in the White House.”
The first aircraft with the updated look won’t be available until 2027, according to the Air Force, and the second until 2028. Biden, and whoever is elected president next year, will use the current models until then.
