Biden scraps Trump’s Air Force One update, keeps its iconic look

Upgrades will include a medical facility, a self-defence system, a mission communication system and an executive interior, according to the US Air Force

Donald Trump – who has declared a renewed presidential bid in 2024 – had planned to adopt the colours of the American flag: red, white and dark blue

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An artist rendering provided by the US Air Force shows the new livery design for Air Force One, selected by US President Joe Biden. Photo: US Air Force via AP

Published: 5:47am, 12 Mar 2023

The US president’s plane is getting a paint job – and it looks a lot like the old one.

Joe Biden has selected a white, light blue and yellow scheme for a modern update to the fleet of Air Force One planes, which are specially modified Boeing Co 747s.

The decision scraps plans by former US president Donald Trump – who has declared a renewed presidential bid in 2024 – to adopt the colours of the American flag: red, white and dark blue.

Those paint designs, particularly the proposed dark blue colour, might have required “additional Federal Aviation Administration qualification testing for several commercial components due to the added heat in certain environments,” the US Air Force said in a statement.

Other upgrades will include a medical facility, a self-defence system, a mission communication system and an executive interior, according to the release. The models will have “the equivalent level of communications capability and security available in the White House.”

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