Pentagon Develops Plan To Buy New Air Force One Fleet -- FOX News
The Pentagon is considering buying a new fleet of presidential planes, known as Air Force One when the U.S. president is aboard.
The Pentagon is considering buying a new fleet of presidential planes, known as Air Force One when the U.S. president is aboard.
Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Wednesday told at a House Appropriations Committee hearing on the Pentagon budget that it's time for an upgrade.
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My Comment: 20 years in service .... yup .... its service life is coming to an end.
Tiahrt has a point. By the time the current presidential 747s came on line 20 years ago, the majority of new commercial airliner cockpits were digital/glass. To totally refit the avionics was considered too expensive - even then. I read somewhere that these airplanes are unable to normally enter common air space in Europe and Asia for the lack of certain electronics. The VC-25As were essentially obsolete the day they were delivered. Add to that a thin supply stream of old, "747 rope-start" parts.
ReplyDeleteIt is dissatisfying, however, that the push is now on for new, mega-buck VIP Gov't jets when other military contracts are under intense scrutiny.
RTLM