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| Photo Credit: The New York Times |
US President Joe Biden has abandoned a Trump era paint scheme for Air Force One over fears it could drive up the price, Politico quoted an administration official as saying. The red, white and blue paint scheme was meant for the Air Force One replacement but a new study seems to shoe it could increase cost.
The Trump era plan called for dark blue paint covering for
the plane’s underbelly and engines and could contribute to excessive
temperatures on the aircraft, according to Politico. Additional modifications
would have been required to cool some of the components and thereby driving up
costs, the Air Force was quoted as saying.
The Biden administration has therefore chosen to abandon the
Trump plan.
“The Trump paint scheme is not being considered because it
could drive additional engineering, time and cost,” Politico quoted an
administration official, who asked for anonymity to discuss an internal issue.
The mock-up of the new Air Force One, will consist of two
modified Boeing 747-8s. The Biden Administration would likely revert to the
classic JFK-era light blue and white scheme and would become operational by
2026, Politico cited Air Force budget documents.
In 2017 former President Trump announced on Twitter that his
government had successfully reduced the price of the contract with Boeing by
“over $1 billion.” This was followed by Boeing’s fixed-price contract with the
Air Force for the planes with the implication Boeing would be responsible for
any cost overruns.
In 2018 the Air Force awarded a $3.9 billion contract to
Boeing for a pair of modified 747-8s to replace the existing Air Force One
aircraft based on the 747-200B which has been in flight since the 1990s.
The project is yet to be implemented due in part to supply
chain problems, workforce shortage of skilled mechanics and a Boeing dispute
with a subcontractor, as detailed by the Government Accountability Office,
Politico reported.
The plane is unlikely to be ready to fly a president until
at least four years from now, about two years later than initially planned,
according to the fiscal 2023 budget documents.