Boeing signed a fixed-price contract to deliver the next Air Force One seven years ago—and has failed to deliver. Time for a competitor to step in.
Imagine, if you will, that European aerospace firm Airbus partners with an American firm (say Lockheed Martin) to pitch a militarized variant of their massive A380 double-decker plane. The plane could function as a transport aircraft, or even a heavy bomber—but Airbus instead frames it as a replacement for Boeing’s still-incomplete 747-800, intended to serve as the next Air Force One.
In this hypothetical, Airbus offers to jointly build this system with Lockheed at the Airbus plant in Mobile Alabama. Airbus offers midair refueling, cutting-edge defenses, and a $3 billion price tag for two presidential airplanes—all with the promise of delivering this in under two years. Conversely, current Air Force One manufacturer Boeing has had since 2018 to get their new variant off the ground, and has failed to do so.
President Donald Trump has already expressed massive frustration with Boeing for having failed to produce a new Air Force One, despite having signed the fixed-price contract for the plane in 2018. Might he be interested in such an offer? For good measure, Airbus points out that the A380 is the largest (and quietest) large-body aircraft in the world—meaning Trump’s plane would be bigger than any other foreign leader’s. And it’d be cheaper. How could he resist?
The actual construction would take place in Alabama, a state that Trump won in all three bids for the presidency by large numbers. And the United States would receive a presidential aircraft that is advanced and relatively affordable—and one that could go on to be used for many years, including by Trump’s eventual successors in both parties.
America Needs a New Air Force One
Remember, Boeing signed a contract to deliver the next Air Force One seven years ago. The original deal was signed in 2018 for a fixed price of $3.9 billion. But Boeing has utterly failed to deliver since then.
And the current Air Force One is only getting older. Thanks to Boeing’s inability to produce a successor, the current aging Air Force One simply reinforces the notion that Chinese propagandists have been spreading about the United States being a great power in terminal decline.
When Boeing is pressed on the nature of the delays, they point fingers at everyone other than themselves. Of course, the company’s track record has grown progressively worse over the past decade—ranging from the disastrous rollout of the 737 Max jet to the company’s failure to bring American astronauts home from the International Space Station.
The Air Force has told the Trump administration that Boeing will be getting them an updated integrated Master Schedule by this spring. To be clear, though, the embattled Boeing only said this because Trump has been pressing them on their inability to fulfill their contractual obligations.
Based on Boeing’s projections, the Air Force now says that the new iteration of Boeing’s 747-8 won’t be available until mid-2028—five long years after it was originally set to be released.
Elon Musk, who heads the president’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), has apparently intervened to expedite the process of Boeing completing its new Air Force One in a timelier, more cost-effective manner. But there is no guarantee that this will speed things up. The problem is fundamentally with Boeing—and that organization appears inured to reform.
This is utterly unacceptable. And it is why Airbus, if they play their cards right—despite being a wildcard in this process—has a chance to upend the aerospace industry in the United States.
The Airbus A380’s Specs
A massive, double-decker plane that has struggled to find interested buyers for commercial use, this plane seems perfectly tailored to replace Boeing’s 747-8. To be clear, though, when the prospect was raised of replacing the presidential airplane with a European-built bird, the forty-seventh president balked. In classic Trump fashion, the president added that he’d be open to purchasing another plane—such as the A380—from a third party and having it converted into Air Force One for cheaper than what Boeing is charging the American people. Given how badly Boeing has failed to fulfill its contractual obligations on this matter, the prospect that Trump might seek a new plane from another firm is real.
The A380 has a maximum takeoff weight (MTOW) of 1,268,000 pounds and an empty weight of approximately 610,700 pounds. Its fuel capacity is 85,472 gallons. It is a quad-engine plane, with two options for engines, either the Rolls-Royce Trent 900 or an Engine Alliance GP7200. In classic European fashion, the plane is environmentally friendly and fuel-efficient, burning less than 3.3 gallons per passenger per 62 miles. Interestingly, though, the fuel efficiency on the A380 drops when it is not fully loaded.
Airbus made their A380 the quietest wide-body aircraft in the world, with a takeoff noise footprint 50 percent lower than the Boeing 747-400.
The A380’s cruising speed is 560 miles per hour, and its maximum speed is 634 mph. The plane has a 9,206-mile range, which could be increased if it were upgraded to military specifications so that it could enjoy midair refueling as the existing Boeing 747 Air Force One does.
Making the A380 fully compatible with United States Air Force standards would cost anywhere between $1.5 billion to $2 billion—the base price of the aircraft, plus militarization costs.
The A380 Air Force One’s Deck Layout
The A380 would have on its upper deck an expanded presidential suite, with a bedroom (presumably with a king-sized bed for The Donald), private bathroom, office with the classic mahogany desk, and secure teleconference nook.
The upper deck would also host a senior staff area of around 800 square feet, with ten workstations that would come equipped with encrypted comms, and a mini-Situation Room with 60-inch screens.
On the main deck of the presidential A380 would be a conference room able to hold 20 people, with advanced AV systems and real-time global monitoring screens. There would be a medical suite, featuring a full operating theater, ICU bed, and pharmacy, staffed by two doctors.
Further, there would be a press and support area with 50 seats, power outlets, and a galley serving 150 meals per flight. On that main level, the Secret Service would have their quarters as well, with bunks, armory, and command post.
The lower hold would be converted for additional fuel, secure cargo, and any backup systems.
Special features would be 100 encrypted phone lines, satellite internet (possibly provided by Starlink?), and a quantum-secure data link. The plane would be retrofitted with an AN/ALQ-204 Matador infrared countermeasures system, chaff/flare dispenser, and electronics that were hardened against electromagnetic pulse (EMP) attacks.
Some Downsides to “Airbus One”
Of course, there are downsides to the project.
The largest of these is that the production for the A380 was terminated by Airbus in 2021. Spare parts and maintenance would therefore rely on a shrinking global A380 network—unlike the 747’s relatively robust ecosystem.
Critics also argue that the switch to the A380 now from the 747-800s already under development by Boeing would spike the cost of the A380, and ensure that no new Air Force One was delivered until well after 2028.
But even if that were accurate, the status quo is unsustainable. Boeing has become an inert corporation lacking the kind of dynamism that an innovative aerospace market demands. Injecting Airbus into the fray would create competition and force other American aerospace firms to enhance their competitiveness. This would go on to lower costs for the U.S. government.
Trump Should Freeze Boeing Out
Airbus has demonstrated it is simply a better company than Boeing. Moreover, purchasing an Air Force One model from Airbus would necessarily expand the company’s employment opportunities here in the United States.
Trump should seriously consider an A380 as a replacement for the Boeing 747-800. And barring the construction of a unique Air Force One from the A380 base, Trump should contemplate purchasing a pre-existing A380 and simply having the Air Force modify it for presidential use.
About the Author: Brandon J. Weichert
Brandon J. Weichert, a Senior National Security Editor at The National Interest as well as a contributor at Popular Mechanics, who consults regularly with various government institutions and private organizations on geopolitical issues. Weichert’s writings have appeared in multiple publications, including the Washington Times, National Review, The American Spectator, MSN, the Asia Times, and countless others. His books include Winning Space: How America Remains a Superpower, Biohacked: China’s Race to Control Life, and The Shadow War: Iran’s Quest for Supremacy. His newest book, A Disaster of Our Own Making: How the West Lost Ukraine is available for purchase wherever books are sold. He can be followed via Twitter @WeTheBrandon.
Image: Shutterstock / Markus Mainka.
