In this article:
This artist rendering featured in this post depicts the VC-25B that will serve as Air Force One in its new livery.
According to the Defense Visual Information Distribution Service (DVIDS) that released the rendering, the US Air Force (USAF) is implementing this red, white, gold and dark blue paint scheme for the VC-25B, 747-8i as well as the executive airlift fleet, which includes four C-32 aircraft (a military version of the Boeing 757, currently in the fleet).
In fact, USAF officials told CNN that President Donald Trump’s preferred paint colors will be applied to the new planes which will serve as Air Force One.
This color scheme, which was proposed during Trump’s first term in office but reversed by the Biden administration, will see the new heavily modified Boeing 747s, designated VC-25B by the USAF, painted red, white, gold and dark blue.
“Air Force One is going to be incredible,” Trump said in 2018. “It’s going to be the top of the line, the top in the world. And it’s going to be red, white and blue, which I think is appropriate.”
The aircraft that serve as Air Force One have been painted a baby blue and white livery since the Kennedy administration.
The USAF rejected the livery in 2022 during the Biden administration. At the time the service cited cost and technical reasons.
“Further analysis concluded darker colors, among other factors, on the underside of the VC-25B aircraft might contribute to temperatures exceeding the current qualification limits of a small number of components,” a USAF spokesperson said at the time.
Renderings of a new paint scheme chosen by Biden were proposed by the service in 2023. The livery was very similar to the baby blue livery in use for more than 60 years, with a slightly darker tint.
Now according to the USAF, the paint scheme will be applied to two new Boeing 747s being modified by Boeing and a 747 donated to the military by Qatar, which Trump has ordered be retrofitted for use as Air Force One. The Qatari jet could be flying as early as this summer.
Photos circulating on X, show A C-32, commonly used as Air Force Two when the vice president is aboard, sporting the new livery. The aircraft, spotted by @TT33Operator taking off from Majors Airport (GVT) in Greenville, Texas, appears freshly painted and consistent with reporting that the Air Force has begun transitioning the VIP fleet to Trump’s preferred palette.
Boeing aircraft have transported US presidents around the world since 1943, when Franklin Roosevelt became the first commander in chief to fly in an airplane — a Boeing 314 Clipper flying boat known as Dixie Clipper. From the current VC-25A (747-200) to the next-generation VC-25B (747-800), Boeing 747 airplanes emblazoned with the presidential seal and “United States of America” are one of the most recognizable symbols of the presidency, continuing the tradition of Air Force One, the iconic call sign when the president is aboard.
The Air Force One is the “flying Oval Office” featuring 4,000 square feet (371.6 square meters) of interior floor space.
Equipped with advanced communication facilities, this multifunctional space ensures seamless connectivity for the president while flying high above the ground.
The advanced aircraft operates independently at international airports without requiring external support. Its sophisticated systems and equipment ensure secure logistical operations anywhere.
The presidential aircraft integrate the expertise and resources of numerous supplier companies within the aerospace sector. By engaging a wide network of suppliers and manufacturing facilities, Boeing leverages innovative prowess to build the most advanced head-of-state aircraft in the world.
Photo credit: U.S. Air Force and @TT33Operator
