Latest news with #DarleneCostello
Business Insider
13-05-2025
- Business
- Business Insider
See the US's presidential aircraft fleet that Trump wants to add to with a $400 million gift
Presidential aircraft fleet Air Force One is a call sign that refers to any US Air Force aircraft transporting the president, though it is commonly recognized by its blue-and-white livery. The Air Force has two "specially configured" Boeing 747-200B jets that are primarily used as Air Force One. The VC-25A aircraft is uniquely modified to serve as an airborne command-and-control center for the president, staff, and guests with the same level of safety and security as the White House. Other than the number of passengers it can carry, the main differences between the VC-25 and the standard Boeing 747 include more advanced electronic and communications equipment, a self-contained baggage loader, and the capability for in-flight refueling. The VC-25 also has a rest area and mini-galley for the aircrew, six passenger lavatories, and a compartment with medical supplies and equipment for minor in-flight emergencies. Marine One For shorter distance trips, especially to and from the White House, the president flies in Marine One, which includes military helicopters like the VH-3D Sea King and the VH-60N White Hawk. In service for nearly five decades, both military helicopters are set to be phased out and fully replaced with modernized rotary-wing aircraft, the VH-92A. The next-generation Marine One is designed to be a militarized variant of the Sikorsky VH-92 Patriot. Other aircraft The presidential fleet also includes other fixed-wing aircraft besides the modified 747. The C-32A, a modified Boeing 757-200, is better suited for smaller airports or low-profile missions. The C-40, based on the Boeing 737, can be used to fly the president but is more often used for Cabinet members or other VIP individuals. Based on General Dynamics' Gulfstream long-range business jets, the C-37 is used to transport high-ranking government and Defense Department officials for worldwide missions. 'Next Air Force One' The two planes currently being used as Air Force One have been in service for nearly four decades. They are set to be replaced by a modernized variant dubbed the " Next Air Force One." Officially designated the VC-25B, the new presidential aircraft is set to feature "electrical power upgrades, a mission communication system, a medical facility, an executive interior, a self-defense system, and autonomous ground operations capabilities," according to an Air Force release. The two future VC-25B jets were initially scheduled to be fielded in 2024, but supply chain issues and shifting requirements could postpone their delivery to 2029. Facing pressure from the White House to have the new aircraft ready before Trump leaves office in January 2029, the Air Force and Boeing are aiming to have the new aircraft delivered by 2027, according to Darlene Costello, the Air Force's principal deputy assistant secretary for acquisition, technology, and logistics. A 'security nightmare' An Air Force official told Air and Space Forces Magazine that the service is coordinating with the White House and Boeing "to further define the requirements and acceleration options while ensuring we provide a safe, secure, and reliable aircraft for the president." Trump has previously expressed his frustration with receiving the next-generation Air Force One, suggesting earlier this year that he may seek "alternatives, because it's taking Boeing too long." Despite the backlash, the president doubled down on his proposal to use the Qatari jet as Air Force One, saying he doesn't plan on using it after his term and would donate it to a future presidential library. "I could be a stupid person and say, 'No, we don't want a free, very expensive airplane,'" Trump told reporters Monday. Though free in cost, there's still a major cost to overhaul and retrofit the plane with the strict security requirements needed to serve as Air Force One. "Along with the obvious ethical and legal issues, a $400M gifted luxury jet is not Air Force One," US Rep. Joe Courtney of Connecticut wrote on X. "Retrofitting a plane from Qatar would create huge costs & a security nightmare that would impede the work underway to deliver the actual AF1 by 2027."
CNN
08-05-2025
- Business
- CNN
Boeing now plans to deliver new Air Force One jets in 2027, before Trump leaves office
Long-delayed next Air Force One jets from Boeing might now be delivered by 2027 — in time for President Donald Trump to use them, according to a top Air Force official. While that's still years behind the original delivery date of 2022, it's one to two years earlier than Boeing had most recently predicted. Trump has expressed anger at the delays, and he reportedly had been looking at buying a different jet to use on an interim basis. News of the potential 2027 delivery came Wednesday from Darlene Costello, the Air Force's acting acquisitions chief, who testified before the House Armed Service Committee about recent negotiations between the Air Force and Boeing. 'I would not necessarily guarantee that date, but they are proposing to bring it in '27, if we can come to agreement on the requirement changes,' Costello said. She was referring to contract requirements that are being loosened to get to that earlier date – such as the Air Force 'relieving' Boeing of some some of the top-clearance security requirements for workers performing work on the aircraft, which has been blamed for some of the delays. Boeing said it had no comment on Costello's testimony. Keeping Trump and the Air Force happy is critical for Boeing, which gets 42% of its revenue from US government contracts, according to its most recent filing. Boeing's $3.9 billion contract to replace the two Air Force One jets has become an expensive and embarrassing albatross. Boeing has reported losses totaling $2.5 billion already on the program, known as VC-25B, since it agreed to be responsible for what has become soaring cost overruns. There are multiple reasons for the delay in delivery. After signing the original contract in 2017, Boeing began refurbishing two 747 jets in February 2020 that it had built for another customer but never delivered because of that customer's bankruptcy — a process that in hindsight probably was more expensive and time consuming than if it had built from scratch. And the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, which started just weeks after Boeing began refurbishing the planes, caused significant additional delays. The two jets now in use, which have the code letters VC-25A and carry the Air Force One designation when the president is on board, have been in service for nearly 35 years, starting during the term of President George H.W. Bush. Replacing the planes has long been a priority for Trump. 'I'm not happy with the fact that it's taken so long,' Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One in February. 'There's no excuse for it.' He said he wouldn't turn to Boeing's European rival Airbus, but would consider buying a used 747 and having a different company refurbish it for use as Air Force One. Soon after those comments Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg told investors that he is 'all in' on trying to speed up the delivery and praised suggestions made by Elon Musk, who visited the Texas facility where the work is being done in December on Trump's behalf. 'The president is clearly not happy with the delivery timing,' Ortberg said at that time. 'He's made that well known. Elon Musk is actually helping us a lot in working through the requirements… to try to help us get the things that are non-value-added constraints out of the way, so we can move faster and the president those airplanes.' Even before Trump took office for the first time in 2017, he complained about the cost of the Boeing contract and threatened to cancel an existing deal. In February 2018 he negotiated the current contract for two of the jets, which saved the Air Force $1.4 billion over the previous deal, the White House said at the time. He had requested that the aircraft be delivered by 2021. The Wall Street Journal, citing people familiar with the situation, reported last week that the government has commissioned defense contractor L3Harris to overhaul a Boeing 747 formerly used by the Qatari government, with the aim to have it in service by this fall as an Air Force One jet. But that contract has not been announced by the government, and Costello was not asked about it during the hearing. The challenge is not the basic jet, but what it takes to turn a run-of-the-mill Boeing 747 into the flying communications and command post fit for the president of the United States, said Richard Aboulafia, managing director at AeroDynamic Advisory, an aerospace consulting firm. They are supposed to be able to fly and protect its occupants from missile attack or even the shock waves of a nuclear blast. 'You can have a jet anytime,' he said. 'But it takes a great deal of work to have encrypted communications and manage the military and federal government from anywhere around the world in any circumstance.'
CNN
08-05-2025
- Business
- CNN
Boeing now plans to deliver new Air Force One jets in 2027, before Trump leaves office
Long-delayed next Air Force One jets from Boeing might now be delivered by 2027 — in time for President Donald Trump to use them, according to a top Air Force official. While that's still years behind the original delivery date of 2022, it's one to two years earlier than Boeing had most recently predicted. Trump has expressed anger at the delays, and he reportedly had been looking at buying a different jet to use on an interim basis. News of the potential 2027 delivery came Wednesday from Darlene Costello, the Air Force's acting acquisitions chief, who testified before the House Armed Service Committee about recent negotiations between the Air Force and Boeing. 'I would not necessarily guarantee that date, but they are proposing to bring it in '27, if we can come to agreement on the requirement changes,' Costello said. She was referring to contract requirements that are being loosened to get to that earlier date – such as the Air Force 'relieving' Boeing of some some of the top-clearance security requirements for workers performing work on the aircraft, which has been blamed for some of the delays. Boeing said it had no comment on Costello's testimony. Keeping Trump and the Air Force happy is critical for Boeing, which gets 42% of its revenue from US government contracts, according to its most recent filing. Boeing's $3.9 billion contract to replace the two Air Force One jets has become an expensive and embarrassing albatross. Boeing has reported losses totaling $2.5 billion already on the program, known as VC-25B, since it agreed to be responsible for what has become soaring cost overruns. There are multiple reasons for the delay in delivery. After signing the original contract in 2017, Boeing began refurbishing two 747 jets in February 2020 that it had built for another customer but never delivered because of that customer's bankruptcy — a process that in hindsight probably was more expensive and time consuming than if it had built from scratch. And the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, which started just weeks after Boeing began refurbishing the planes, caused significant additional delays. The two jets now in use, which have the code letters VC-25A and carry the Air Force One designation when the president is on board, have been in service for nearly 35 years, starting during the term of President George H.W. Bush. Replacing the planes has long been a priority for Trump. 'I'm not happy with the fact that it's taken so long,' Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One in February. 'There's no excuse for it.' He said he wouldn't turn to Boeing's European rival Airbus, but would consider buying a used 747 and having a different company refurbish it for use as Air Force One. Soon after those comments Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg told investors that he is 'all in' on trying to speed up the delivery and praised suggestions made by Elon Musk, who visited the Texas facility where the work is being done in December on Trump's behalf. 'The president is clearly not happy with the delivery timing,' Ortberg said at that time. 'He's made that well known. Elon Musk is actually helping us a lot in working through the requirements… to try to help us get the things that are non-value-added constraints out of the way, so we can move faster and the president those airplanes.' Even before Trump took office for the first time in 2017, he complained about the cost of the Boeing contract and threatened to cancel an existing deal. In February 2018 he negotiated the current contract for two of the jets, which saved the Air Force $1.4 billion over the previous deal, the White House said at the time. He had requested that the aircraft be delivered by 2021. The Wall Street Journal, citing people familiar with the situation, reported last week that the government has commissioned defense contractor L3Harris to overhaul a Boeing 747 formerly used by the Qatari government, with the aim to have it in service by this fall as an Air Force One jet. But that contract has not been announced by the government, and Costello was not asked about it during the hearing. The challenge is not the basic jet, but what it takes to turn a run-of-the-mill Boeing 747 into the flying communications and command post fit for the president of the United States, said Richard Aboulafia, managing director at AeroDynamic Advisory, an aerospace consulting firm. They are supposed to be able to fly and protect its occupants from missile attack or even the shock waves of a nuclear blast. 'You can have a jet anytime,' he said. 'But it takes a great deal of work to have encrypted communications and manage the military and federal government from anywhere around the world in any circumstance.'
Reuters
08-05-2025
- Business
- Reuters
Boeing proposes 2027 delivery date for new Air Force One jets, official says
WASHINGTON, May 7 (Reuters) - Boeing (BA.N), opens new tab has proposed delivering its delayed new version of Air Force One in 2027, a U.S. Air Force official said on Wednesday. President Donald Trump negotiated with Boeing for a pair of new 747-8 aircraft during his 2017-2021 first administration. They were initially expected to be delivered in 2024. Stay up to date with the latest news, trends and innovations that are driving the global automotive industry with the Reuters Auto File newsletter. Sign up here. "We are looking at the requirements that are being potentially traded off to get to that date, and so I would not necessarily guarantee that date, but they're proposing to bring it into '27," Darlene Costello, acting assistant secretary of the Air Force, told the House Armed Services Committee. Costello said the Air Force is working with the White House on "what's acceptable" from a capability standpoint for Air Force One. The government has temporarily lifted some security requirements for the production facility, Costello said. This, she said, has allowed Boeing to be more "efficient and productive" in assembling the aircraft. She said there are a few remaining issues that need to be resolved but once they are, it will give a better estimate on the schedule of delivery. Boeing did not immediately respond to a request for comment. In mid-February, Trump expressed his displeasure with Boeing but ruled out European rival Airbus ( opens new tab as an alternative. Around the same time, Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg said Elon Musk, who serves as an adviser to Trump, was "helping us a lot" in navigating delivery of the presidential jet. The government recently tapped defense contractor L3Harris Technologies (LHX.N), opens new tab to overhaul a Boeing 747 formerly used by the Qatari government for use as an interim Air Force One amid Boeing's delays. That aircraft is expected to be available for use as early as fall, according to The Wall Street Journal.
Bloomberg
07-05-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
US Air Force Seeks to Speed Up Delivery of Trump's Plane
By , Roxana Tiron, and Julie Johnsson Save The US Air Force is pushing to speed the delivery of the new Air Force One, service officials said, as President Donald Trump grows more impatient about getting a redesigned plane before his second term ends. The service is working with partners in the government and commercial sector to accelerate delivery, Lieutenant General David Tabor, the Air Force's deputy chief of staff for plans and programs, and Darlene Costello, the service's acting acquisitions chief, said in prepared remarks to a House Armed Services subcommittee on Wednesday.
