Trump Nixes New Air Force One Proposal

Dec 7 The Ukrainian producer of the world’s largest aircraft has offered to build a plane for Donald Trump after the US president-elect said an order with Boeing Co for a new Air Force One should be scrapped.

We also know that Trump’s tweet tanked Boeing’s stock price, albeit only briefly.

As for Air Force One, the government has agreed that Boeing will build two new planes, which would go into service around 2024.

Todd Harrison, a defense budget analyst at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said in an email Tuesday that upgrading a Trump plane to fit presidential requirements would be unrealistic.

A few hours later, talking to reporters inside the Trump Tower lobby in New York, Trump said, “The plane is totally out of control”.

Trump said he spoke with the head of Boeing on Tuesday and said “we’re going to work it out”.

President-elect Donald Trump chastised the Boeing corporation over plans for a new Air Force One.

The aircraft are likely to be outfitted with the latest technology, including top-secret communications equipment, countermeasures to counter missile attacks, and aerial refueling capability so the aircraft can fly for days without landing. “When you look at the cost of the two new Air Force Ones, plus the research and development and the overall program cost, it’s a pretty big number”, Miller said.

Boeing responded to Trump, saying that it now only has a $US170 million ($A228 million) contract to determine the capabilities of the new presidential aircraft.

It’s unclear whether Trump’s figure is correct.

The aircraft manufacturer was tapped by the Obama administration to build a new plane for future presidents, but Trump says it’s costing taxpayers too much money. His most surprising guest was Democratic former Vice President Al Gore.

Following up on that tweet, he said he would cancel that order unless the company slashes its prices. But it has recently been criticized by Trump for both its deal to sell commercial jets to Iran and its decision to open a factory in China to finish passenger cabins on planes purchased by Chinese airlines.

Trump has already used the Twitter (TWTR) bully pulpit aggressively before taking office. An Air Force spokesman said the military did not have an immediate comment on Trump’s exhortation. Air Force One also has seating for reporters; Trump generally does not allow the press on his own plane. The team, he said, will announce specifics after Trump is sworn in as president next month.

Air force One, with President Barack Obama aboard, prepares to take off from Andrews Air Force Base, Md., Tuesday, Dec. 6, 2016.

Trump also defended his tweet about Boeing Co.

In a September 2015 Rolling Stone profile of Trump, early on in his presidential campaign, he was quoted as enthusing about the capabilities of his own Boeing 757 plane.

A decline in the price of Boeing could be good news for Trump, his family, and friends because they can invest at a lower price.