Summary
- Former US President Donald Trump is likely to pursue new Air Force One color scheme if re-elected.
- The red, white, and dark blue design was rejected as too expensive and needing excessive design fixes.
- Boeing would have to cover costs for any color scheme alterations, with the program already over budget.
Donald Trump still wants to change Air Force One’s color scheme if he is elected president in November. The 45th President of the United States unveiled a red, white, and dark blue design during his administration, but this was later reversed when President Biden came to power.
Trump will change Air Force One livery if elected
According to a senior former Trump administration official speaking with Politico, should Donald Trump win re-election to the White House later this year, he is “100 percent” going to try and change the new Air Force One’s livery to his preferred red, white, and dark blue color scheme. The unnamed source cited Trump’s pride in the design, saying,
“The model was on the coffee table in the Oval Office and he pointed it out many times to foreign and domestic visitors. He thought it represented America more and represented strength, the red, white and blue.”
Photo: USAF
The two new VC-25B Air Force One airframes – based on the Boeing 747-8i – are currently slated for delivery in 2026 and 2027, so their arrival would fall within the term of the next elected president. Presently, the aircraft are in line to receive the classic light blue and white scheme – based on a design from Raymond Loewy – which has been in place since the 1960s.
However, there is still time to alter the color scheme for the heavily-delayed program, although that would likely incur further delays due to the necessary engineering changes to incorporate the new color scheme. The red, white and blue would be similar to the livery adorning Trump’s private Boeing 757, which has been dubbed “Trump Force One”.
Expensive paint job
When the Biden Administration canceled Trump’s plans for a new scheme, they cited its expensive costs, particularly the prominent dark blue of its underbelly. As darker colors absorb more heat, this can be problematic for temperature regulation, particularly on such a large aircraft with so many systems onboard.
Photo: Markus Mainka | Shutterstock
The United States Air Force (USAF) conducted thermal tests and stated that such a color scheme would necessitate additional Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) testing “due to the added heat in certain environments.” As a result, a seemingly simple color change would lead to expensive engineering fixes and likely cause even more delays to an already behind-schedule program.
Related
Continued Challenges: Boeing Loses Over $2 Billion On Delayed 747-8 Air Force One Program
The planemaker was granted nearly $4 billion in 2018 to develop the aircraft.
Furthermore, given the fixed-price nature of the $3.9 billion contract with Boeing agreed in 2018, the cost of doing all of this would come out of Boeing’s pocket. The project is now believed to be at least $2 billion over budget and is also years behind schedule – outgoing Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun labeled the fixed-price agreement a major mistake back in 2022, with the program suffering various setbacks, such as contractor bankruptcies and supply chain snags.