From the beginning to the present, the new "Air Force One" project has cost the U.S. government 3.2 billion U.S. dollars, and it is expected that another 800 to 900 million dollars will be invested to complete it, and so far not even one aircraft has been completed. It has not been built yet. If it is developed, it will cost 378.5 million to buy one. The newly inaugurated President Trump announced a few days ago that he has spent so much money without getting any results, and Boeing has not given any details. He only said that you can just wait and it will definitely be done in 2024. Trump calculated, I will be 80 in 2024, and I will have to be re-elected for another term before I can fly on this new plane. What good will I get from spending so much money? So in line with the purpose of "reducing government spending", they waved their arms and said they didn't want new planes.

Boeing's stock price fell 1%.

378.5 million to buy one, but only two or three will be sold in total, and all development costs will be covered by the government. This price offered by Boeing is really cruel. But after all, why is Air Force One so expensive?

First

The words "Air Force One" look like an airplane when viewed horizontally and an airplane when viewed vertically, but in fact it is not an airplane. "Air Force One" is actually a call sign. Any aircraft of the Air Force, as long as the current president is aboard, is called "Air Force One". At this time, students will ask, what if they get on a Marine Corps or Navy aircraft? Of course they are called "Marine One" and "Marine One". There is only one Marine One in history, the S-3 transport plane that carried George W. Bush to the aircraft carrier, tail number 159387. There are so many Marine Ones, from helicopters to rotary-wing V-22s. Of course, the U.S. Armed Forces also has Coast Guard One and Army One.

What if the president takes a civil aviation vehicle? The call sign is "Administrative Number One". (Look more at the fried egg rising posture)

To go a step further, the most famous ones are of course the 747-200s that are often called "Air Force One".

These aircraft look like a 747-200 when viewed horizontally and a 747-200 when viewed vertically, but they are not actually 747s. These aircraft, from the frame to the skin, from the avionics to the windows, the engines to the brake pads, are all designed and built from scratch (of course, the standard parts that can be used are still used). The drawings were modified from the 747-200, and the construction specifications were completely implemented in accordance with military specifications. The entire aircraft was originally built not only as a flying vehicle for the president and top military commander, but also as a "mobile command post when the homeland is attacked."

After completion, 747-200 will not be used as the aircraft model code name, but a brand new military aircraft code name, VC-25A, which will be under the jurisdiction of the 86th Transportation Group of the Air Force of the Ministry of National Defense.

VC-25A used VC-137 before, and the prototype was 707. The VC-137 was first used during the Eisenhower period, and then until 1990, the aircraft was too old, so it was replaced by the VC-25. It flew from 1990 to about 2024, and the VC-25 is about the same age, so Boeing announced in 2015 that it would use the 747-8 as a model to develop the next generation of Air Force One.

The research and development costs of the new "Air Force One" are very high. In addition to re-strengthening the airframe, installing various types of radars, communication mechanisms, and adding racks for missiles and jammers, the avionics must also be upgraded and replaced. engines, adding backup and re-standby power, and so on. Many of these are secrets, and only the details in some spy photos taken by aviation enthusiasts can be guessed.

The most important thing is to strengthen the body to resist the electromagnetic pulse generated by the nuclear bomb detonating at high altitude, and to upgrade the power. You must know that although Air Force One is heavier than the ordinary 747, it can fly much faster than the ordinary 747.

All these modifications cost money. The initial investment was for the U.S. government to buy two 747-8s and then return them to Boeing for design. This meant that Boeing had already made money on the two aircraft before construction started. Why two? There must be a spare, right?

Second

Air Force One is larger and consumes a lot of money.

When Trump was interviewed by Rolling Stone last year, he joked that his Trump ID was bigger than Air Force One.

That’s weird.

Trump is a Boeing 757-200, which is smaller than Air Force One no matter what. (Trump doesn’t know that 757 is the blueprint for “Air Force Two” and is given to the Vice President). First, the length, Air Force One is 70.6 meters, 757 is 47 meters; wingspan, Air Force One is nearly 60 meters, 757 is only 40 meters.

Then there is motivation. Air Force One can fly directly from Washington DC to Hong Kong without refueling on the way. If there is mid-air refueling, it can be said to be an "infinite range." It depends on whether the food on the plane is eaten up first or the engine is worn out first.

For such a powerful aircraft, maintenance is not guaranteed. First of all, four hairs require more maintenance than two hairs. Furthermore, after all, it is the president's special plane. If something breaks, it cannot be repaired and used again. Other civil aviation aircraft have major parts with maintenance intervals, but Air Force One does not. Each component has a "replacement interval." For example, if the engine has been used for XXX hours, it needs to be replaced with a new one. This kind of maintenance is expensive, but it is necessary for safety. Therefore, although the 86th Transportation Group only has a few aircraft in need of maintenance and repair, their ground operations are almost the busiest among the air forces in peaceful areas.

Excluding development costs, each time Air Force One takes off, it consumes US$180,000-200,000 in the air for one hour. In comparison, a typical 747-400 civil airliner costs between US$24,000 and US$27,000 for one hour of air travel, which is only a fraction of the price of Air Force One.

Third

After all, this is the car of the commander-in-chief. Although it does not have the gold-plated seat belts in Trump’s special plane, it at least still has the noble look of a president.

The first is spatial distribution. A slightly smaller space than the 747, 400 square meters, divided into the presidential office, presidential bedroom, conference hall, staff cabin, kitchen (can accommodate 100 people at the same time), restaurant, gym, medical room, etc. Because the escape system is confidential, So where and how old it is, there is currently no specific information.

Flying with us were not only government officials, but also a selected group of journalists. BBC reporter Jon Sopel has flown once. The dinner was beef tenderloin, and M&Ms signed by the president were served at the end of the meal.

So, if Trump really wants to "reduce government spending" and does not buy a new Air Force One, he may really be able to save a lot of money during his term.

But what will the future presidents do?

Text: Xiaoyuer/Omelette.com

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