The US Air Force has announced it will purchase two Boeing 747-8s for $400 million to establish a training and maintenance program for its future presidential transport fleet.
The purchase is part of efforts to accelerate the presidential airlift program as it prepares to transition from the aging 747-200 model 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 delivery expected before the end of the year.
The Air Force said the acquisition was necessary because the 747-8i is no longer in active production by Boeing and differs significantly from the 747-200 currently used in the presidential fleet.
The two planes will be used for crew training and as a source of spare parts, officials said.
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Several published reports suggest the Air Force was buying the planes from Lufthansa, one of the few passenger airlines to have acquired the 747-8 model, which was the most popular among cargo carriers before Boeing ended its production in early 2023. A spokesperson for the German airline declined to comment.
This purchase is separate from the two 747-8i aircraft that Boeing is currently modifying under the VC-25B program, which will serve as the next generation of Air Force One. The first of these heavily modified planes is expected to be delivered in mid-2028, the Air Force said.
An Air Force official, speaking privately, said the two trainer jets were also separate from a 747-8i jet gifted to the United States by Qatar.
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 747-8s to replace the current fleet.
The Air Force announced last Friday that delivery of the first of two new Air Force One planes from Boeing had been delayed by an additional year, to mid-2028.
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