'A level of luxury': Trump says new Air Force One is unlike anything 'ever seen before' - EUROPE SAYS
ANDREWS AIR FORCE BASE, Md. (TNND) — The U. S. Air Force said it delivered its new VC-25B Bridge aircraft to the Presidential Airlift Group at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, where it will begin commissioning. . .
ANDREWS AIR FORCE BASE, Md. (TNND) — The U. S. Air Force said it delivered its new VC-25B Bridge aircraft to the Presidential Airlift Group at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, where it will begin commissioning flights before entering service as part of the executive airlift fleet, known as Air Force One. President Donald Trump described it as “a flying White House. ”“Our pilots, designers, and engineers prepared an aircraft that is the largest Air Force One ever built,” Trump said of the plane, which is a formerly Qatari-owned jumbo jet that was converted into the official U. S. presidential aircraft. ”It flies further and faster than any Air Force One [ever],” he added. “You don’t have to stop for fuel every few hours. You maybe will never have to stop for fuel. They call it ‘unlimited. ’ Well, it’s pretty close to unlimited. [The plane] is among the most beautiful aircrafts the Air Force will ever see or operate. ”The plane — with its “new red, white, and blue livery” — is intended to relieve pressure on the aging VC-25A fleet, which has faced increasingly lengthy maintenance cycles. The Air Force has said in the past that security modifications to the jet would cost less than $400 million. “This plane was transformed into a flying White House at a level of luxury that nobody’s ever seen before, probably even almost outside of an airplane,” Trump said. Ina news release, Air Force officials said the aircraft was outfitted with secure communications systems and other mission-critical technology needed to support presidential travel and continuity-of-government operations. Commissioning flights will serve as the final phase of testing, allowing the White House and military officials to evaluate the aircraft’s capabilities and certify procedures needed to safely transport the president. Once the flights are completed, the plane will be available for presidential missions, alongside the VC-25A and C-32 fleets. “The safety and security of the commander in chief is our highest priority,” Secretary of the Air Force Troy Meink said in the release. ”From the beginning, we meticulously evaluated every requirement to accelerate delivery while maintaining the high standards expected of the presidential mission,” he added. “This effort proves that the U. S. Air Force can move fast without sacrificing quality, security, or reliability. ”Trump confirmed that he would be taking the new jet to the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, in July and indicated he would be returning to China “at some point,” presumably a reference to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit that China is hosting in November. His return from the Group of 7 summit in France this week was the last planned trip aboard the old Air Force One, he said. “Now, when we land at airports in London and in Germany and different places, nobody tops this one, and that’s the way we have to have it for our country,” Trump said, noting that the colors and the design were to “my taste, I will say. ”He added that the new Air Force One will do a flyover during the July 4 celebrations in Washington, D. C. The gift from Qatar is serving as a so-called “bridge” aircraft to carry the president until the new planes ordered directly from Boeing arrive. That is currently slated for 2028. The news came on Friday, which was one day afteran older plane made its final flight as Air Force One. That plane was used to transport U. S. presidents — and has served as a flying White House for administrations — since 1990. _______________EDITOR’S NOTE: The Associated Press contributed to this report. Tags:the White HouseTrump Administration