Why is Air Force One so expensive?

From the beginning to now, the new "Air Force One" project has cost the US government 3.2 billion US dollars, and it is estimated that 800 million to 900 million yuan will be invested to complete it. And so far, even a plane has not been built. If it is developed, it will cost 378.5 million yuan to buy one. The newly appointed President Trump announced a few days ago that he had spent so much money that he didn't listen. And Boeing didn't give a specific statement, just saying that you have to wait all the time, and you will definitely do it in 2024. Trump counted it. By 2024, I will be 80 years old, and I will be re-elected for another term before I can get on this new plane. What good is it for me to spend so much money? So in order to "reduce government expenditure", he waved and said that he didn't need a new plane.

Boeing shares fell 1%.

378.5 million yuan to buy one, only two or three, all development costs are borne by the government. The price of this Boeing is really hard. But after all, why is Air Force One so expensive?

first

The word "Air Force One" is an airplane in the horizontal direction and an airplane in the vertical direction, but it is not an airplane. "Air Force One" is actually a call sign. Any air force plane, as long as the current president goes up, is called "Air Force One". At this time, students will ask, what if you get on a plane of the Marine Corps or the Navy? Marine Corps One and Navy One, of course. There was only one S-3 transport plane in the history of Navy No.1, carrying George W. Bush on the aircraft carrier, with the tail number 159387. There are many Marine Corps No.1, from helicopters to rotor V-22. Of course, there are also "Coast Guard No.1" and "Army No.1" in the US armed forces.

What if the president takes a civil aviation car? The call sign is "Administrative No.1". (Looking at the rising posture of the omelet)

Far away, the most famous ones are, of course, these 747-200 s, which are often called "Air Force One".

These planes look like 747-200 horizontally and 747-200 vertically, but they are not 747. These planes, from the skeleton to the skin, from avionics to windows, from engines to brake pads, are all designed from scratch and manufactured from scratch (of course, the standard parts that can be used will still be used). The drawings were changed from 747-200, and the construction specifications were completely implemented in accordance with military specifications. The original purpose of building the whole plane is not only to serve as a means of flight transportation for the president and the highest military commander, but also to serve as a "mobile command post when the country is attacked."

After completion, the 747-200 is not a model code, but a brand-new military aircraft code, VC-25A, which belongs to the 86th Transport Brigade of the Air Force of the Ministry of National Defense.

VC- 137 was used before VC-25A, and the prototype was 707. VC- 137 was first used in Eisenhower's time, but it was too old to use it until 1990, so VC-25 was replaced. From 1990 to around 2024, the age of the VC-25 is almost the same, so Boeing announced on 20 15 that it would develop the next generation Air Force One based on 747-8.

The research and development cost of the new "Air Force One" is very high. In addition to re-reinforcing the fuselage, installing various radar and communication mechanisms and increasing the pylons of missiles and jamming bombs; It is also necessary to upgrade avionics, replace engines, increase backup and re-backup power supply, etc. Many of these are confidential, and only the details in some spy photos taken by aviation enthusiasts can guess the essence.

The most important thing is to strengthen the body to resist the electromagnetic pulse generated by the high-altitude explosion of nuclear bombs and upgrade its power. You know, Air Force One is heavier than the average 747, but it flies much faster than the average 747.

All these changes cost money. The initial investment was that the US government bought two 747-8s, and then returned them to Boeing for design, which means that Boeing had already earned money for two planes before the project started. Why two? You have to have a spare, right?

second

Air Force One is big and consumes a lot.

Last year, Trump joked in an interview with Rolling Stone that his Trump was bigger than Air Force One.

No

Trump is a Boeing 757-200. How can it be smaller than Air Force One? Trump doesn't know that 757 is the blueprint of Air Force II, which is for the vice president. The first is length. Air Force One is 70.6 meters, and 757 is 47 meters. Wingspan, Air Force One is nearly 60 meters, and 757 is only 40 meters.

Then there is motivation. Air Force One can fly directly from Washington DC to Hong Kong without refueling. If there is refueling in the air, it can be said that it is an "infinite voyage", depending on whether the food on the plane is eaten first or the engine is worn out first.

The maintenance of such a powerful aircraft is not covered. First of all, four engines need more maintenance than two engines. Moreover, after all, it is the presidential plane, and nothing means that it is broken. After it is repaired, it will continue to be used. Most other civil airliners have maintenance intervals, but Air Force One does not, and all components have "replacement intervals". For example, if the engine is used for XXX hours, it needs to be replaced. This is expensive maintenance, but it is also necessary for safety. Therefore, although only a few planes of the 86th Transport Brigade need to be maintained and repaired, their ground handling is almost the busiest among the air forces in peacetime.

Excluding the development cost, the air consumption of Air Force One is 6.5438+0.8 million -0.2 million/hour, and 200,000 US dollars. In contrast, the average 747-400 passenger plane costs between $24,000 and $27,000 per hour, which is only a fraction of Air Force One.

third

After all, this is the grand marshal's car. Although there is no gold-plated seat belt in Trump's special plane, it is at least as noble as the president.

The first is spatial distribution. Covering an area of less than 747,400 square meters, it is divided into presidential office, presidential bedroom, conference hall, staff cockpit, kitchen (which can accommodate 100 people at the same time), dining room, gym, infirmary and so on. Because the escape system is confidential, there is no specific information about where and how big it is.

Not only government officials, but also a group of selected journalists flew with them. BBC reporter Jon Souper flew once. There are beef tenderloin for dinner and M & amp; dinner; M beans.

Therefore, if Trump really wants to "reduce government spending" and does not buy a new Air Force One, he may really save a lot of money during his tenure.

But what about the later president?

Text: Fish/Fried Egg Net

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