Boeing VC-25B

Updated: October 2026 – A jumbo with a long hump, raked wingtips and the presidential seal on the nose: this is what the next generation of Air Force One looks like. The Boeing VC-25B is meant to replace the two old VC-25As, which have been in service since 1990. But the program is one of the most delayed aircraft projects in recent US history, and in the meantime a jumbo gifted by Qatar even stepped in as a stopgap. Here is the overview: where the aircraft come from, why they are so late, which livery they wear, what the schedule looks like in October 2026 and how to recognize them.

What is the Boeing VC-25B?

The VC-25B is the military designation for two Boeing 747-8 Intercontinentals that the US Air Force is having converted into presidential aircraft. The program officially runs under the name Presidential Airlift Recapitalization, PAR for short. As with its predecessor, the “V” stands for VIP transport and the “C” for cargo aircraft; the “B” marks the second version of the VC-25 series.

Important up front: “Air Force One” is a callsign, not an aircraft name. It applies to any US Air Force aircraft carrying the president. The VC-25B therefore becomes Air Force One only when the president is on board. How callsigns and flight numbers relate is explained in the article Callsign and flight number.

The manufacturer is Boeing. The two airframes were originally built at the Everett plant, and the conversion into presidential aircraft is under way at Boeing’s facility in San Antonio, Texas. As before, the aircraft will be operated by the Presidential Airlift Group of the 89th Airlift Wing at Joint Base Andrews near Washington.

From bankrupt jumbo to presidential aircraft

The search for a successor to the VC-25A began long before today’s program. In 2009 the US Air Force first officially sounded out industry interest; EADS, the parent of Airbus, declined to bid. In January 2015 the decision fell for the Boeing 747-8 – the only four-engine widebody aircraft of US production still being built at the time.

A peculiarity is the origin of the airframes. Instead of ordering two brand-new jumbos, in 2017 the Air Force bought two 747-8Is that the Russian airline Transaero had ordered in 2011. Transaero went bankrupt in 2015 and never took delivery of the aircraft. The two completed jumbos stood at Southern California Logistics Airport in Victorville in the Mojave Desert to protect them from corrosion. For the Air Force it was an inexpensive start, for Boeing an opportunity to get rid of two unsellable aircraft.

On February 27, 2018, the White House announced the agreement with Boeing: about $3.9 billion at a fixed price for converting the two aircraft. It was preceded by a public exchange in which then president-elect Donald Trump criticized the expected costs at the end of 2016. The fixed price was meant to protect taxpayers – and became a burden for Boeing, as would soon become clear.

Year	Milestone
2015	Air Force picks the Boeing 747-8 as the basis
2017	Purchase of two unsold ex-Transaero 747-8Is
February 2018	Fixed-price contract of about $3.9 billion
2020	Conversion starts in San Antonio
2021	Insolvency of interior outfitter GDC Technics
June 2022	New schedule: first aircraft in 2026 instead of 2024
June 2024	First flight postponed to March 2026
December 2025	Air Force names mid-2028 for first delivery
July 2026	Stopgap aircraft VC-25B Bridge flies as Air Force One for the first time
September 2026	Air Force: power-on by end of 2026, first flight 2027, delivery 2028

Why everything was delayed

Originally the first VC-25B was to be ready in 2024. By now the program is years behind plan. The reasons are varied and well documented:

Add to that supply chain problems during the pandemic and a labor market in which skilled workers were scarce. In 2022 the Wall Street Journal also reported on production mishaps, including empty miniature liquor bottles found in one of the aircraft and jacks that were not designed for the weight of the aircraft.

In June 2022 the Pentagon approved a new schedule: first delivery in September 2026, the second aircraft a year later. That didn’t hold either. In 2024 the first flight slipped to March 2026, and in 2025, citing a GAO report, even 2029 was mentioned for delivery. After President Trump put public pressure on, the Air Force said Boeing could deliver in 2027 if requirements were adjusted. In December 2025 the Air Force finally named mid-2028 as the target for the first aircraft.

Status October 2026: power-on, first flight, delivery

In September 2026 the US Air Force gave a new interim status: Boeing is to power up the first VC-25B for the first time before the end of 2026. This “power-on” is the moment when the onboard systems are first tested together on the ground. The first flight is planned for 2027, the delivery of the first aircraft for 2028. The Air Force speaks of significant progress on electrical systems and structural repairs; certification questions on replacement windshields and cabin windows were most recently still open.

In parallel the Air Force has course-corrected the program. In December 2025 there was a contract modification of about $15.5 million for expanded communications capabilities. In addition, in December 2025 the Air Force bought two used 747-8Is from Lufthansa for about $400 million. They are not meant as presidential aircraft but for pilot training and as spare-parts donors. An unusual path for jumbos that you could see for years at Frankfurt Airport.

The stopgap: VC-25B Bridge

Because the old VC-25As are becoming ever more maintenance-intensive and the VC-25B kept the Air Force waiting, an unconventional solution came into play in 2025. Qatar handed over to the USA a Boeing 747-8 that had been delivered in 2012 as a VIP jet to Qatar Amiri Flight. In May 2025 the US Department of Defense officially accepted the aircraft. The gift was politically controversial, among other things over the question of whether a president may use such a gift from a foreign state.

The conversion was handled not by Boeing but by L3Harris, using design data from Boeing. In August 2025 the jumbo was ferried to Waco, Texas, under the US registration N7478D, and work began in September 2025. In early May 2026 the Air Force reported completion of the conversion and flight testing. On June 19, 2026, the aircraft was presented at Joint Base Andrews, on July 1, 2026, it flew for the first time with the president on board, and its first foreign deployment a few days later led to the NATO summit in Ankara.

The Air Force calls the aircraft the VC-25B Bridge – a bridge until the delivery of the actual VC-25B. For the Air Force this has a practical benefit: crews, technicians and logistics staff are already gaining experience with the 747-8 instead of starting from zero in 2028.

Feature	VC-25A	VC-25B Bridge	VC-25B
Basis	747-200B	747-8 (ex-Qatar VIP jet)	747-8I (ex-Transaero)
In service	since 1990	since July 2026	delivery planned for 2028
Conversion	Boeing	L3Harris	Boeing, San Antonio
Livery	classic light blue and white	Red, white, blue	new scheme, details open
Equipment	full protection and communications suite	reduced, according to reports	full suite planned

The livery: political ping-pong

Hardly any detail of the VC-25B has been discussed as publicly as its paint scheme. The classic design in light blue and white goes back to industrial designer Raymond Loewy and entered service in 1962 with the VC-137 of the Kennedy era. It shaped the presidential aircraft for six decades.

• June 2019: Donald Trump presents a design in red, white and dark blue.
• 2022: The Biden administration drops the design, citing additional engineering, time and cost.
• March 2023: A modernized variant of the classic light blue and white is presented.
• September 2025: A model of the stopgap aircraft in red, white and blue is seen in the Oval Office.
• February 2026: The second Trump administration announces a new scheme reminiscent of the 2019 design.

The stopgap aircraft VC-25B Bridge has been flying in the red, white and blue colors since summer 2026. How the two actual VC-25Bs will look at delivery will only be finally decided in the paint shop – and may depend on who is then in the White House. How such designs are built is explained in the article Livery design explained.

How to recognize the VC-25B

Compared with the old VC-25A, the new generation is at first glance a different aircraft. The basis is the 747-8, the longest version of the jumbo family. How all 747 generations differ is shown in the article Boeing 747-100 to 747-8.

What the VC-25B is meant to deliver

The US Air Force naturally keeps details of the equipment under wraps. What is clear: like its predecessor, the VC-25B is meant to carry the president as a flying government office, with work and conference rooms, medical care, its own communications technology for secure links and self-protection systems. The December 2025 contract modification shows that the communications equipment is being expanded beyond the original plan because requirements have changed since the program began.

The basis already brings more space and more modern engines: the 747-8 is longer than any earlier jumbo version and far more economical than the 747-200 of the VC-25A. Aerial refueling, as the VC-25A has, is according to widespread reports not planned for the VC-25B; there are hardly any official details on this.

Spotting perspective: when will you see the VC-25B?

Frankly: you won’t get the two actual VC-25Bs in front of your lens any time soon. They are being converted in San Antonio, and the first flight is planned for 2027. After that come test flights in the USA, and only after entry into service are foreign trips possible. For spotters in Europe the VC-25B is thus a classic wish-list type.

More realistic today is the stopgap aircraft. It has also accompanied the president on foreign trips since July 2026. If state visits or summits take place in Germany, the patterns are the same as with the old Air Force One: in the past the VC-25A landed at Hamburg Airport, Munich Airport and BER, for example. Arrivals often fall in the evening, aprons are closed off, and visitor areas are sometimes closed.

Classic locations such as the visitors’ hill in Munich or the observation deck at BER can be closed on such occasions. What else to keep in mind around state visits and which other government jets you see there is covered in the article Spotting government aircraft. If you want to watch US military flights online, you’ll find tips in the guide Tracking military aircraft online; how US Air Force serials are structured is explained in US military serials.

The family of presidential and special jets

The VC-25B stands in a long line. Before the jumbos, US presidents flew in aircraft based on the Boeing 707, above all the VC-137. You can tour one example of that generation at the National Museum of the US Air Force in Dayton. The direct predecessor is the VC-25A based on the Boeing 747-200, which according to Pentagon plans is to be retired in fiscal years 2028 and 2029.

For smaller trips the Air Force uses the C-32 based on the Boeing 757, and for vehicles and equipment on presidential trips the C-17 Globemaster III. How the jumbo family developed from 1969 to the 747-8 is covered in the history of the Boeing 747. And if you hunt rarities specifically, you’ll find ideas in the article Spotting rare aircraft.

Conclusion

The Boeing VC-25B is the aircraft the US presidential fleet has been waiting for for years. Two jumbos once built for Russia, a fixed-price contract that has cost Boeing billions, and a livery that became a political issue: the program has produced more headlines than flight hours. As of October 2026 the first aircraft is to fly in 2027 and be handed over in 2028. Until then the old VC-25As and the stopgap aircraft from Qatar hold the fort.