Frag Out! Magazine
Issue link: https://fragout.uberflip.com/i/901315
The program of purchase of successors to the VC- 25A was questioned even by the present POTUS because of the costs of purchase estimated at 4 billion dollars – the amount included the airframe units, their redevelopment and equipment according to the needs of their future user. That's why DoD and Boeing were told to look for ways to limit the costs – and one of such ways was limiting the purchase to two instead of the planned three aircraft. Other savings were made quite unexpectedly later on. On 1 August 2017, the American media announced that DoD wanted to buy a pair of used Boing 747- 8Is to redevelop them and make them suitable to carry the president. The talks concerned aircraft that were originally objects of interest of Russian Transaero airlines. The Russian carrier ordered four aircraft, but when it ended its activity, the progress in construction of two of them was slight. After Transaero declared bankruptcy and went out of business in October 2015, the aircraft remained undelivered to the end user – the manufacturer was left with ready airplanes, which have been kept at the Southern California Logistics Airport near Victorville since 2017. Their current civil registration numbers are N894BA and N895BA. On 4 August, DoD made a brief announcement of signing a contract for two Boeing 747-8Is, which were to be modified to be able to carry POTUS – and DoD decided to purchase two used 747-8Is from Boeing. The aircraft were originally manufactured for Transaero airlines from Russia, but the company went bankrupt and the planes remained with the manufacturer – photo by Bastian Din www.fragoutmag.com