Mike Stone
WASHINGTON, Dec 16 (Reuters) – The U.S. Air Force said on Tuesday it would spend $400 million to purchase two Boeing 747-8 jumbo jets to build a training and support program for its future presidential airlift fleet.
The purchase is part of the service’s accelerated Presidential Airlift program as it prepares to transition from the aging 747-200 to the newer, larger 747-8 model, the Air Force said in a statement.
The first aircraft is expected to arrive in early 2026, with the second aircraft planned for delivery before the end of the year.
The Air Force said the acquisition was necessary because Boeing is no longer actively producing the 747-8i and it is significantly different from the 747-200 aircraft currently used in the presidential fleet. Officials said the two aircraft will be used for crew training and as a source of spare parts.
Several published reports indicate the Air Force is purchasing the planes from Lufthansa, one of a handful of passenger airlines buying the 747-8 model, which was more popular with cargo airlines before Boeing halted production in early 2023. A spokesman for the German airline declined to comment.
The purchase is separate from the two 747-8i aircraft currently being modified by Boeing under the VC-25B program, which will serve as the next generation of Air Force One. The first heavily modified aircraft is expected to be delivered in mid-2028, the Air Force said.
The two trainer jets are also different from a 747-8i aircraft gifted to the United States by Qatar, an Air Force official said in background remarks.
The Air Force One program has faced delays and cost overruns since Boeing agreed in 2018 to a $3.9 billion fixed-price contract to deliver two modified 747-8 aircraft to replace the current fleet.
Delivery of the first of Boeing Co’s two new Air Force One jets has been delayed by a year to mid-2028, the U.S. Air Force said on Friday.
(Reporting by Mike Stone in Washington; Editing by Nia Williams and Jamie Fried)
