WASHINGTON — The US Air Force is buying two more Boeing-made 747 jets for the long-delayed VC-25B presidential airlift program, the service said in a statement.
“As part of the presidential airlift acceleration efforts the Air Force is procuring two aircraft to support training and spares for the 747-8 fleet,” the Air Force statement said, which lists the total price for the two aircraft at $400 million. An Air Force official confirmed the jets are being purchased from the German airline Lufthansa.
Led by prime contractor Boeing, the VC-25B program is replacing the current fleet of VC-25A aircraft, dubbed Air Force One when the president is on board. After years of delays, the Air Force recently revealed it now expects Boeing to deliver the first of two VC-25B aircraft in mid-2028.
While the VC-25A aircraft consist of 747-200 jumbo jets, the VC-25B aircraft in work are 747-8is. Pointing to the differences between the two aircraft, the service’s statement said “it is important for the Air Force to establish an overall training and sustainment strategy for the future Air Force 747-8i fleet.” The Air Force said delivery of the first Lufthansa aircraft is expected “early next year” and that the second would arrive before the end of 2026.
The Air Force emphasized the two jets are additive to the VC-25B program and will “be used for training and spares.” News of the purchase was first reported by Aviation Week.
Boeing ended 747 production in January 2023, handing over the final copy of the iconic widebody jet to Atlas Air. The VC-25B program is militarizing two 747-8is previously destined for the Russian airline Transaero, which went bankrupt before the aircraft could be delivered. Under a separate program led by prime contractor SNC, the Air Force is also modifying 747-8i aircraft to replace the service’s E-4B Nightwatch fleet.
Amid delays for the VC-25B aircraft, President Donald Trump has pointed to the program’s lagging schedule as a reason to accept a luxury 747 airliner gifted by the Qatari government to serve as an interim Air Force One. The Air Force has said that effort, in which L3Harris has reportedly been tapped to militarize the plane, should cost less than $400 million — a sizable sum that Air Force Secretary Troy Meink admitted was funded by moving money out of the Sentinel ICBM program.
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Despite the very public nature of the VC-25B contract, the work surrounding the Qatari-donated jet has remained classified, largely without further explanation. Trump has said the aircraft is a “GIFT, FREE OF CHARGE” to the Defense Department, one that he would be “stupid” to reject. Democrats and ethics groups have criticized the acceptance of the aircraft as an example of corruption.