It's Official: The US Air Force Is Buying Two New 747 Air Force Ones
Boeing said on Thursday that it had formally "booked" an order from the United States Air Force for two of its 747-8 aircraft that will be converted into the future Air Force One.
Details of the final cost of the order weren't released, but the official list price for one 747-8 is $351.4 million, according to Reuters. It's likely that the Air Force got a great deal on these aircraft, considering they're aircraft originally meant for a Russian airline that had been in storage in the desert after the airline, Transaero, failed.
The Air Force would like to see the new -8s enter service in 2024. Before then, the planes will undergo significant (and expensive) modifications in order to be deemed fit to serve as Air Force One. When the new Boeings are delivered, it will bring the US president's super-secure aircraft into the modern age — and will bring the US in line with some other nations such as Kuwait that use larger (and more modern) aircraft for their leaders.