After a bunch of politicking, the White House and US Air Force have announced that it has placed an order for 2 new 747-8i aircraft to replace the aging 747s currently used to transport the President.
The deal amounts to $3.9 billion and according to the White House this reflects a $1.4 billion dollar reduction in cost vs. the original bid tendered by Boeing. Original pricing suggested that the cost of the 2 new birds would be between 5 and 6 billion dollars. The cost covers all the retrofit work needed for the 2 aircraft.
The 2 planes have already been manufactured and have been kept in storage by Boeing after the original purchaser defaulted on the order and never took delivery of the aircraft.
The Air Force will take delivery of the aircraft and work with Boeing to carry out EXTENSIVE modifications to meet the security and safety demands that come with carrying the President.
It will still be a few years before we see the new beauty in the skies. Potentially during President Trump’s second term…. 😉
