The US Air Force released some details of the program to create two new aircraft for the president of the country. The contract with Boeing will be concluded without the usual competition in such cases, the amount of the transaction will be $ 3.9 billion - and in the document there is not a word about the $ 1.5 billion discount allegedly personally negotiated by Donald Trump from Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg. Finally, the US president, members of his family and administration will fly on liners built for Russia.
July 20, the website of the government procurement of the US government justified the need to update the presidential fleet. Under American law, if a government organization plans to conclude a contract without holding an open tender, it needs to give weighty arguments in favor of this decision, otherwise the deal may not take place. So in May, Congressmen blocked an application for the replacement of refrigerators in the current presidential plane, although it was only about $ 24 million.
To move around the world, the President of the United States uses the VC-25, a special version of the Boeing 747. The huge liner is designed to carry 70 people, is equipped with all necessary communications head of state, has a medical unit with an operating theater and is protected from the consequences of a nuclear explosion. There are two such planes for the president, the one that is in the air with the head of state on board, has the call sign Air Force One.
By 2025, the VC-25A pair built in the late 1980s will have a 28 percent concurrent availability factor, that is, aircraft will be ready for flight in less than a third of cases, the rationale states. The degree of readiness of new VC-25Bs throughout their life cycle will be twice as high - about 56 percent. The military also said that maintaining old aircraft in good repair is much more expensive than new ones. Another example of savings - both "side number one" will not be built from scratch. The presidential aircraft will remake two commercial Boeing 747, built for the airline from Russia, but not transferred to it, as the customer went bankrupt.
VC-25Bs will be equipped with a military version of satellite navigation GPS, the transponder will replace the system recognized by the US Air Force recognizing the "own-alien". This equipment will allow Air Force One to use both civil air corridors and fly above closed areas, receiving data for navigation and air traffic control from various sources. The presidential plane will receive two auxiliary power units for starting engines on the ground without outside help and reserve power supply in the air. Even in the "board number one," a pair of additional doors will cut through: one in front of the wing, the other in the tail part.
"Additional outlets will be needed, for example, if the President's plane lands on a site that is not equipped for Boeing 747. Two doors will allow the White House's staff and press corps to quickly board aboard without using the presidential entrance," the military said.
The conclusion of the state contract without a tender is justified by the need to "fulfill the unofficial agreement of February 20, 2018 between US President Donald Trump and Boeing Chairman of the Boeing Board Dennis Muilenburg." It is noteworthy that the document does not mention a discount of $ 1.5 billion, writes The Drive. On the reduction in the price of airplanes, Trump announced after the talks with Muilenburg. The justification mentions only the opportunity to save $ 200 million if Boeing gets the right to hire and certify subcontractors for the integration of Air Force One systems. The contract provides for the delivery of new aircraft by 2024. The intention of Trump to repaint the presidential aircraft was ignored by the military.