Trump’s Budget Proposal Includes Millions For Air Force Two And ‘Doomsday’ Fleet
- 7 years ago
The federal budget President Trump has proposed reportedly includes a $6 million allotment to begin researching the next generation of Air Force Two airplanes.
The federal budget President Trump has proposed reportedly includes a $6 million allotment to begin researching the next generation of Air Force Two airplanes.
A report by the security-focused site Defense One states that the money has been earmarked to “create a project office and start studies to determine what will replace the Air Force’s C-32As, the modified Boeing 757s that generally fly the vice president, other top-ranking cabinet officials, and members of Congress.”
According to the Air Force’s own website, “The C-32 body is identical to that of the Boeing 757-200, but has different interior furnishings and 21st century avionics.”
It currently offers four different passenger areas including a communications center, a fully-enclosed state room, a conference facility, and general seating.
In addition to numerous safety features, the plane is equipped with a full suite of communications equipment including “improved telephones, satellites, television monitors, facsimiles and copy machines.”
Nevertheless, Defense One quotes the Air Force as saying in its funding request for the project, “The C-32A replacement aircraft would have increased range, passenger capacity, enhanced senior leader communications and a private work space.”
According to Defense One, the military branch also indicated the need to bring the capabilities of Air Force Two closer to that of Air Force One since the smaller plane can sometimes be used by the president.
Trump has publicly spoken out about the high cost of developing a new Air Force One; as such, he aims to slash its funding allotment by nearly $200 million.
The extra funding could go towards a $7.8 million request by the Air Force to merge the E-4B “Doomsday Plane” with the E-6B Mercury run by the Navy to create a new aircraft fleet called the Survivable Airborne Operations Center.
The federal budget President Trump has proposed reportedly includes a $6 million allotment to begin researching the next generation of Air Force Two airplanes.
A report by the security-focused site Defense One states that the money has been earmarked to “create a project office and start studies to determine what will replace the Air Force’s C-32As, the modified Boeing 757s that generally fly the vice president, other top-ranking cabinet officials, and members of Congress.”
According to the Air Force’s own website, “The C-32 body is identical to that of the Boeing 757-200, but has different interior furnishings and 21st century avionics.”
It currently offers four different passenger areas including a communications center, a fully-enclosed state room, a conference facility, and general seating.
In addition to numerous safety features, the plane is equipped with a full suite of communications equipment including “improved telephones, satellites, television monitors, facsimiles and copy machines.”
Nevertheless, Defense One quotes the Air Force as saying in its funding request for the project, “The C-32A replacement aircraft would have increased range, passenger capacity, enhanced senior leader communications and a private work space.”
According to Defense One, the military branch also indicated the need to bring the capabilities of Air Force Two closer to that of Air Force One since the smaller plane can sometimes be used by the president.
Trump has publicly spoken out about the high cost of developing a new Air Force One; as such, he aims to slash its funding allotment by nearly $200 million.
The extra funding could go towards a $7.8 million request by the Air Force to merge the E-4B “Doomsday Plane” with the E-6B Mercury run by the Navy to create a new aircraft fleet called the Survivable Airborne Operations Center.