Next Air Force One Livery Changes Revealed, Blink and You’ll Miss Them

In the U.S. Air Force (USAF) arsenal there are actually two such presidential aircraft. Both of them are of the heavily modified Boeing 747-200B variety and are referred to by those close to them as the VC-25A. The first flight of this kind of plane took place all the way back in 1987, and that means, despite several upgrades since, both are getting pretty old.

Official plans call for the two VC-25As to end their service sometime in 2025. That means not long is left until a replacement platform needs to be delivered for official needs. In fact, we’re so close to the point when they should be ready that we’ve even got wind of what livery the Next Air Force One, as the military calls it, will be wearing.

Officially dubbed VC-25B, the new plane is based on the Boeing 747-8i, a widebody machine that’s been in production since 2008. Compared to the regular ones we get to fly on city breaks or cross-country trips, the Air Force One will, of course, be heavily modified, with upgrades targeting electrical power, a mission communication system, and a medical facility. The plane will be treated, of course, to an executive-style interior, but, most importantly, it will pack its own self-defense system.

We've known for several years now that the VC-25B is coming, and back in 2019, the USAF even presented a proposal for the new Air Force One livery. It was a relatively far cry from the current design, with red, white, and blue chasing each other on the aircraft’s fuselage.

The USAF eventually rejected the initial design because a thermal study revealed that the dark blue used added heat in certain environments, and using it would have required extra Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) qualification.

So, at the end of last week, the USAF came out with the livery that will actually make it onto the VC-25B. It has already been selected by president Joe Biden, and if you really look at it, it’s not much different from the current one. In fact, there are just three main differences between the two paint schemes, and not even all that obvious.

First up, the light, robin's egg blue that wraps around the plane is now a tad “deeper.” It’s unclear exactly what that means in terms of visual impact, but we don’t expect it to be major, obviously.

Whereas the VC-25A uses the same shade of blue on the nose of the plane and the engine housings, the new Air Force One will use a darker blue on the engines.

Last but not least, polished metal sections on the new plane will be nowhere to be seen, as “modern commercial aircraft skin alloys don't allow for it.”

We should see the first flight of the new flying White House sometime next year. The rest of the airplane’s specs are, of course, secret.