Bankrupted Russian firm's jets may become Air Force One

[Boats]

Bankrupted Russian firm's jets may become Air Force One
By AFP - PUBLISHED: 18:37 EDT, 1 August 2017 | UPDATED: 18:37 EDT, 1 August 2017
RE: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/afp...Force-One.html

Isn't this a HOOT!

The US Air Force is about to buy two mothballed Boeing 747s that were abandoned by a bankrupt Russian airline -- and convert these into the next Air Force One, a source said Tuesday.

The sale could save the Air Force millions of dollars, and comes after then president-elect Donald Trump said in December that the Air Force One replacement project costs were "ridiculous."

Speaking on condition of anonymity, a source close to the deal told AFP that Boeing is set to sell a pair of 747-8 jetliners to the Air Force.

Air Force One is actually two planes -- one for the president and a spare.

The planes had initially been ordered in 2013 by Russian airline Transaero but the firm went bust in 2015.

"We're still working toward a deal to provide two 747-8s to the Air Force," Boeing told AFP.

"This deal is focused on providing a great value for the Air Force and the best price for the taxpayer."

A final deal could be announced in the coming weeks.

According to the Defense One news website, which first reported the deal, Transaero had initially ordered four Boeing jets before it went bankrupt.

Boeing had flight-tested two of the jets and they are now housed at the Southern California Logistics Airport, Defense One said.

The huge Mojave Desert facility is hot and dry, so airplanes there do not suffer corrosion.

Converting a pair of 747-8 jumbo jets to state-of-the-art luxury command centers by 2022 has been estimated to cost $3.2 billion, but overruns and delays could push the price tag higher.

Boeing sells 747-8s at about $390 million apiece, but defensive technologies, fancy interiors and other enhancements would massively add to the overall cost.

It remains to be seen if the Air Force will struggle with the optics of using formerly Russia-destined planes to become the flagship carrier of US presidents and an emblem of US power projection.

[Boats]

US is said to mull 747s once set for Russia as Air Force One (We were selling 747's to Russia?)
By Julie Johnsson and Tony Capaccio BLOOMBERG NEWS AUGUST 01, 2017
RE: http://www.bostonglobe.com/business/...WjN/story.html

The Trump administration is reportedly in negotiations with Boeing to purchase two 747-8 jetliners, originally sold to a now-defunct Russian airline, as replacements for Air Force One.

CHICAGO — President Trump’s administration may be poised to strike a peculiar deal for the next Air Force One planes: purchasing jumbo jets abandoned by a defunct Russian airline.

The US Air Force is in talks to buy two 747-8 jetliners from Boeing Co. that were originally bound for Russia’s Transaero Airlines, said a person briefed on the talks. The humpbacked passenger jets have been in storage since they rolled out of the company’s factory near Seattle in 2015.

Boeing never built the other two of four jumbos ordered by Transaero, which liquidated as Western sanctions sapped Russia’s tourism industry. Aeroflot PJSC absorbed the remnants of the airline, but opted not to take the order for the four-engine jets.

“We are still working with the Air Force on a deal for two 747s,” said Caroline Hutcheson, a spokeswoman for Boeing, who declined to confirm whether talks were centered on the so-called white tails. “We are focused on the best deal and price for the Air Force.”

The initial contracts with Transaero were finally canceled last month, and three of the jets were removed from Boeing’s backlog. That freed up the aircraft for purchase, said the person familiar with the talks, who asked not to be identified because the discussions are sensitive. The planes have been parked in a US desert storage yard.

“We’re working through the final stages of coordination to purchase two commercial 747-8 aircraft and expect to award a contract soon,” Air Force spokeswoman Ann Stefanek said in an e-mail, while not directly discussing specific aircraft.

As president-elect, Trump tweeted that the “costs are out of control” for the new Air Force One planes and demanded, “Cancel order.” He later boasted of negotiating with Boeing to reduce the cost.

As part of a Pentagon request to shift, or reprogram, $2.4 billion in previously approved funds, the Air Force last month requested $195 million to speed up purchase of two Boeing 747-8 commercial planes for the project.

The Air Force said the acceleration will take advantage of Boeing’s favorable pricing, which is contingent upon a contract award by this month.

The Air Force said the acceleration will take advantage of Boeing’s favorable pricing, which is contingent upon a contract award by this month.

“This effort will ensure delivery of two aircraft by December” instead of late fiscal 2019 and early 2020, said the formal request, which must be approved by all four congressional defense committees.

The planes would still require extensive modification needed to turn them into the flying fortresses that ferry US presidents and their entourages around the world.

For Boeing, the deal could signal the end of the line for the iconic 747, which pioneered long-range travel in the 1970s. The Chicago-based company has just one other passenger version — bound for a VIP client — in its order backlog along with orders for 15 freighters.

The potential purchase of the Transaero 747s was reported earlier by DefenseOne.