President Donald Trump has unveiled a new presidential aircraft, a luxury jet donated by the government of Qatar. The plane, which has been painted red, white, and blue and adorned with the words ‘United States of America,’ is intended to bridge the gap between the two aging modified Boeing 747-200s that have flown as Air Force One since 1990 and two new planes Boeing is modifying that won’t be done for roughly two more years.
New Design and Features
The new plane features a navy blue and white fuselage, cut through with red stripes, replacing the light blue color scheme first conceived by Jacqueline Kennedy. The Air Force said the new plane would begin ‘commissioning flights’ soon, which are intended as a ‘final exam’ for the aircraft modification.
Secretary of the Air Force Troy Meink stated, ‘The safety and security of the commander in chief is our highest priority.’ The Pentagon accepted the Qatari jet last year and has been working to prepare it for service. The timeline has been quicker than the other planes in part because the interior was not modified.
Original reporting: KRDO (Colorado Springs metro) — read the source article.
