Instead of spending money on 747s to carry POTUS, why not use a USAF C-5 Galaxy?
It’s bigger
It uses less runway
Build internal modules for different missions; e.g. overseas trips, CONUS flights.
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The C-5 is slower, has a lower max. altitude, has production numbers 1353 less than the 747 (131 vs 1484), and was last produced in 1989. The military has been updating them ever since.
The 747 ended production in Jan. 2023. I believe Boeing is converting 2 existing 747’s to become Air Force One’s.
“First flight of new Air Force One jet slips to 2026, Air Force says - Breaking Defense”
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If you’d like to go that route, a few facts: It costs millions to retrofit a 747 with the security necessary to carry presidents. It will cost billions to retrofit a C-5 because it’s not designed to carry passangers or provide separation security for pilots, heads of state, journalists and staff. It’s also slower and has a lower “ceiling” it can ascend to. These are large concerns considering a president could be shot out of the sky more easily and throw our nation into chaos. As much as i want to cut spending, we’d do better cutting regulations and those federal workers hired specifically to enforce the regulatory state that costs far more each year than Air Force 1 & 2.
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How about 141’s? I like the basic idea. I’m just not sure of the platform.
There could be “plug ‘n’ play” modules cable ready for the aircraft. Let the ‘press’ find their own way. Those ‘cargo’ airplanes have capabilities, including some phenominal maneuvering, unheard of in commercial aircraft and they are everywhere. Paint a few for ‘show’ but use whatever is available otherwise. Bring some critical thinking to AF1.