2nd hand Boeing for Air Force One?

[Admiral Beez]

Is the US government and Boeing so piss poor at what they do that the White House needs a ten year old, 2nd hand Qatari Jumbojet to serve as AF1?

Trump reportedly set to accept a luxury jet from Qatar for possible use as Air Force One

The Qatari government acknowledged discussions between the two countries about “the possible transfer” of a plane to be used temporarily as Trump’s Air Force One, but denied that the jet “is being gifted” or that a final had been decision made.

www.pbs.org

 

[buffnut453]

Is the US government and Boeing so piss poor at what they do that the White House needs a ten year old, 2nd hand Qatari Jumbojet to serve as AF1?

Trump reportedly set to accept a luxury jet from Qatar for possible use as Air Force One

The Qatari government acknowledged discussions between the two countries about “the possible transfer” of a plane to be used temporarily as Trump’s Air Force One, but denied that the jet “is being gifted” or that a final had been decision made.

www.pbs.org

Aside from the legal, financial, and security Pooh-traps associated with accepting such an asset from a foreign nation.

 

[EwenS]

Boeing has been working on the two VC-25B replacement aircraft since 2019. Delivery of the first was pushed back, the last time from 2024 to 2026/27. All sorts of problems, including large financial losses. Probably starting with already completed airframes originally bound for Russia, probably didn't help on the electronic / wiring front.

ISTR that Trump wanted the project cancelled during his first term. Then he didn't seem to appreciate just what the differences were between a commercial 747-8, even a VIP one, and what the VC-25A was / is. Essentially a flying White House / command centre.

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simpleflying.com

 

[cammerjeff]

I wonder how long the conversion will take on this one? Or is the plan to store it for 4 years so he can take it with him when he leaves office to replace his Trump 757?

 

[Lucky13]

I'd be happy with a....

....or a....

 

[Mainly28s]

It's a backhander for Trump to "ensure good relations" with said middle-Eastern nation.

 

[GTX]

Call it what it is: a bribe.

 

[cvairwerks]

Boeing's current estimate for completion of the new VC-25's is now something like 2035.....L3Harris intends to have the one modified and delivered in under a year. Boeing definitely has some significant internal problems, especially related to this program.

 

[GTX]

Presumably comes with Throne Room:

 

[GTX]

View: https://x.com/DonKeehotey/status/1921757297375682879

 

[EwenS]

Boeing's current estimate for completion of the new VC-25's is now something like 2035.....L3Harris intends to have the one modified and delivered in under a year. Boeing definitely has some significant internal problems, especially related to this program.

2035?
This was what was reported just last Friday.

USAF, Boeing May Modify Air Force One Requirements

Air Force and Boeing are in discussions to adjust requirements for the new Air Force One VC-25B jets, to speed up delivery by 2027.

www.airandspaceforces.com

 

[Jager52]

To side step legal realities, the DOD will receive the "gift". Obviously it could not realistically be converted to AF1, besides the airframe is 10-11 years old and has been flown. We taxpayers will pay to store and maintain this aircraft until his "presidential library" is ready to receive it, if ever. The president did Qatar a favor by accepting this "gift", it saves them the overall expense of ownership of this 11 year old aircraft. Talk about cutting government expenses.

Jager
Glory to Ukraine

 

[special ed]

A ten year old 747-8 is newer than the 35 year old VC-25s currently in use.

 

[cammerjeff]

So how far do you have to strip down a B747-800 that has been owned and operated by another country to assure there are no booby traps, listening devices, or other spyware on board before you let the president use it for official government purposes? Just curious, and I am not even thinking about the modifications needed to bring it up to the standards of Air Force one?

 

[cvairwerks]

To get the 2027 delivery date, the USAF would have to relax or drop a large number of contractual requirements and design requirements. As of now, USAF hasn't answered Boeing on this proposal.

Should the USAF agree to use the Qatar jet, it would essentially get a "D" check and be modded at the same time. Figure it takes about 20 weeks to do a "D" on a 747-400, so maybe 7-8 months.

 

[Jabberwocky]

The current Air Force 1 disaster is not just a Boeing problem.

It's a classic example of what happens in military and civil procurement when the customer keeps changing their mind about the brief, everyone gets visited by the 'good idea fairy'/feature creep takes over, and the entire project ignores realities on the ground.

This pooch has been screwed, by everyone, multiple times and in multiple ways. Boeing, the Air Force, DoD, various suppliers, the White House - there's so much blame to get thrown around here.

Design on the VC-25B has been "finalised" about four times. Only for someone (DoD/Air Force, the White House) to come back with some bright ideas or a bunch of new requirements. Or for someone to discover something has gone catastrophically wrong with the actual work being done. Things like several hundred miles of wiring installations being faulty, the environmental control sub-systems being installed incorrectly and malfunctions, discovering cracks in the stringers near the doors, or the realisation the company that makes 747 passenger windows went bankrupt in 2022.

The pandemic also didn't help. Boeing and sub-contractors have been permanently short of engineers on the project for at least the last 42 months.


I'm DEEPLY skeptical that a fresh start would do anything good for the project. Frankly, I think that all that taking this "donation" would do is result in a new set of problems cropping up as they try to cram all the specalised 'Air Force Oneness' into the airframe.

 

[Thumpalumpacus]

Boeing's current estimate for completion of the new VC-25's is now something like 2035.....

Where's my facepalm emoji when I need it? Jesus, Boeing, get it together already.

 

[GTX]

 

[GTX]

 

[GTX]