There are currently two identical aircraft serving under the moniker of Air Force One. The pair of Boeing 747-200Bs, the first delivered in 1990, both feature all the necessary equipment to ensure that the aircraft can function as a mobile command center.
But these planes will soon be in need of major upgrades, and in an effort to ensure that the US President maintains state-of-the-art technology, the US Air Force has given Boeing permission to begin submitting design proposals for a replacement.
"The scope of the effort will include, but is not limited to, preliminary design activities required to begin development of two Presidential mission-ready aircraft, based on two Government furnished Boeing 747-8 Aircraft…" reads the Presidential Aircraft Recapitalization contract posted by the US Air Force.
The contract states that the new planes be flight-ready by 2024.
The third generation 747, the 747-8 is the largest variant. It features an upgraded wing design making the aircraft more efficient.
The US government originally requested three planes, but the order was subsequently downsized.
The contract only includes modifications. A separate contract will be drafted for the acquisition of the aircraft.
"This effort entails a highly complex integration of extensive modifications and numerous subsystems which must seamlessly interface with each other and the 747-8 commercial aircraft systems in order to meet the Presidential 'no fail' mission," the contract reads.
Wags have already remarked that, if Trump wins the presidency, the upgrades will be unnecessary, as the candidate already has a plane.
