USAF Moves Up Air Force One Delivery; Acquires 2 Extra 747-8s for Parts, Training

The Air Force now expects delivery of the first VC-25B presidential transport by mid-2028, months ahead of its last official projection, a service spokesperson said this week. 

Boeing signed a deal in 2018 to convert two 747-8s to become the next “Air Force One” at a cost of $3.9 billion. Originally built for a Russian airline but never delivered, the jets were originally to be completed by 2024. Mulitple delays followed, and earlier this year, the Air Force said delivery would slip into 2029.

President Donald Trump aired his frustrations with the program in February and a few months later, the Air Force’s acting senior acquisition executive told Congress that Boeing had said it could move up delivery to 2027— “if adjustments are made to requirements.” 

What happened next is unclear, but the date is now between the worst and best case dates cited earlier this year.

One thing that is now clear is that the Air Force is acquiring two second-hand Boeing 747-8 jetliners to use for training and for spare parts. Those aircraft will be delivered in 2026 under a $400 million deal described as part of “acceleration efforts” to deliver new presidential airlift. 

The Air Force announced a new $15.5 million contract modification contract with Boeing Dec. 12, intended to expand the VC-25B’s communications capability “to keep pace with mission requirements that have evolved since the program baseline was established.” 

The statement announcing the deal divulged the new “projected delivery date for the first VC-25B aircraft in mid-2028.” 

President Trump’s term ends in January 2029, meaning he would have the opportunity to fly the new planes if they meet that delivery schedule.  

The Air Force declined to comment when asked if any requirements beyond the communications capability were changed. 

Funding for the VC-25B program increased by $201 million in the Air Force’s 2026 budget request, to “support acceleration initiatives,” budget documents show. Another change recently announced: Lt. Gen. Dale R. White was nominated in November for a fourth star to fill a newly created job overseeing theAir Force’s biggest programs. 

Buying the two additional 747-8s is a move to ensure future capability, the Air Force suggested. “Given the 747-8i is no longer in active production, and is a very different aircraft than the 747-200 [the basis for the current VC-25A], it is important for the Air Force to establish an overall training and sustainment strategy for the future Air Force 747-8i fleet,” the announcement stated.  

The two jets were previously flown by Germany’s Lufthansa, a commercial carrier.

In addition, work continues on yet another second-hand 747-8, the one donated earlier this year by the Qatari government. The Air Force has not said when work on that jet will be complete, but has said the former Qatari aircraft could be used as a temporary Air Force One. Details on that conversion, including cost, schedule, and requirements, remains a secret. Trump has suggested he could fly in the plane by early 2026 and the Air Force announced in September that work had begun. Questions about the aircraft went un answered on Dec. 17.