Air Force One and other presidential aircraft are set to swap their classic baby-blue livery for President Donald Trump’s preferred palette of red, white, gold and dark blue, according to officials.
New VC-25B Fleet Gets Trump Palette
First reported by CBS News, the new color scheme will debut on two heavily modified Boeing 747s the Air Force designates VC-25B, the next generation of jets that carry the “Air Force One” call sign when the president is aboard. The colors mirror a design Trump first pushed in 2018 before it was shelved under President Joe Biden over cost and engineering concerns.
An Air Force spokesperson confirmed to CBS that the service is now implementing a red, white, gold and dark blue paint requirement not only for the VC-25B program but for the broader executive airlift fleet, including a gifted Boeing 747-8i from Qatar and four Boeing C-32 jets that often fly the vice president and other senior officials.
Repainting Breaks With Longstanding Kennedy-Era Design
Some existing blue-and-white aircraft are already being repainted in dark navy, deep red and gold as they cycle through scheduled maintenance, CBS News reported. The first C-32 has completed its new paint job at L3 Harris’s facility in Greenville, Texas, and is expected to return to the fleet within months.
The makeover marks a break with the robin’s-egg blue and white look that dates back to the Kennedy administration, when designer Raymond Loewy created what became an instantly recognizable symbol of the US presidency.
Trump has long argued for a more overtly patriotic scheme. “Air Force One is going to be incredible,” he said in 2018, according to Reuters. “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.”
Costly VC-25B Program Still Facing Delays
The VC-25B program, based on the Boeing 747-8, has faced years of delays and cost overruns, with delivery now expected near the end of the decade. As a stopgap, the Air Force is also converting the Qatari 747-8 into an interim presidential aircraft, which will carry the new colors once upgrades and security modifications are complete.
Photo Courtesy: 1000 Words on Shutterstock.com
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