Several days ago, I wrote about how Lufthansa had reportedly sold two Boeing 747-8s, and how they could be going to the US Air Force. Well, we’ve now had that detail confirmed, and we also know what purpose the planes will serve.
Continue reading: Lufthansa Sells Two Boeing 747-8s To US Air Force For Presidential Fleet Support
Share your questions, experiences, and thoughts below.
If these airframe do end up going to the USAF to join the Air Force One fleet, I wonder what will happen to the ex-Transaero airframes. I assume they would be scrapped, but if they are still airworthy, could we maybe see LH take them up?
Become… VC-25B, which will operate as Air Force One only when a POTUS is on board. I understand Congress hasn’t yet authorised a replacement for the E-4B Nightwatch planes for SECDEF. But I also understand this new administration doesn’t play by the book, so… who knows
The E-4B Nightwatch "doomsday planes" replacements having already been delivered, it's not them...
One will revisit this comments page later to laugh at the comments from the organ grinder’s monkeys …. the foolish primates never fail to supply readers with a pitiful grin …. 🙂
Is an offer LHG couldn't refuse a threat of closing US airspace access if they don't pony up the planes for a dollar?
Whether it’s these frames or not, Mango Mussolini has made it clear he will get a new AF1 while he’s still in office. Don’t worry about inflation, disease, or anything else - gotta keep the Tangerine Toddler happy with new a new toy.
Never to be disappointed by the organ grinders monkeys, they have to display their ignorance by hijacking one’s login details.
They do not realise that all they are doing is confirming how ridiculous the security measures are applied to this website.
Thank you for highlighting this unfortunate state of affairs for everyone to see …. you have made a mockery out of this site …. thank you.
They might be something to do with the E-4C programme which is having the same delay issues as the AF1 project.
Air Force will refurbish on behalf of SCOTUS. Because they shouldn't 'only' receive vacations from the private sector billionaires. Executive branch can do even better.
How cool for if he, yes him, has a 747-8i at his disposal under the innuendo callsign JUSTICE ONE.
John Oliver's offer can't even compare.
Probably for the E4 nightwatch program. Those old 747s are going to need replacing.
Ben, can you not grasp the predicament in which you are placing yourself? These login hijackers are making you look foolish and inert.
Why do you allow these monkeys the freedom to make a mockery of your inability to act decisively?
You seem like a very mature and rational person. Do you have any idea how many people Mussolini killed? Disgusting fool.
As the Christmas Carol singing season is in full swing, one thought it only appropriate to offer up a rendition of a popular Christmas Carol …..
O come, all ye faithful,
Joyful and triumphant!
O come ye,
O come ye to Ben’s website.
Come and abuse it
Just like the login stealers.
O come, let us abuse it,
O come, let us humiliate it,
O come, let us make fun of it,
‘Cos that’s what it likes.
The organ grinder’s monkeys do make this website entertaining at last, thank you. They are continually providing evidence that website security is nonexistent.
More pee-nuts for those little monkeys who have nothing better to do than wallowing in their own dung.
I am the original AeroB13a! This person talking about "monkey" all the time is an imposter! Shameful!
Yes, a truly petulant little dog right? Fortunately this pitiful fool is inconsequential and likely has little undescnded grapes in lieu of you-know-whats.
So, how many aircraft does the POTUS need? There are already the two 747-8s (originally NTU/Transaero) being modified by Boeing, plus this year's gifted ex-Qatar Royal 747-8. Is there now a need for another two from Lufthansa?
I doubt these two 747's will become AF1's. It takes to much time and money to invest in middle-aged airframes. My bet is that they'll go to Air Mobility Command to move troops rapidly in the event of a war in the Pacific or Eastern Europe. While the Air Force frequently use external providers for troop transport it makes sense to increase internal capacity that is ready on a moments notice should a shooting war emerge. They'll have the ability to upgrade comms and perhaps add a defensive system that they couldn't rapidly do with an external vendor plane.
In regard to the gifted 747, my understanding is that the two current, aged AF1's are spending more and more time in maintenance. The gifted frame will have limited updating for its new role, and only be used as a back-up for flights over North America. Trump won't own it when he leaves office. It'll go to his planned presidential library once the two long delayed new AF1's come on line and a back-up is no longer needed.
Probably Doomsday plane, sort of an airborne command center.... nothing Trummp related at all
Unless Ben didn't tell us he joined the White House and demanded 2 new planes for himself.
So the US will take
2 NTU Transaero frames (AF1)
1 BBJ gift from Qatar (who knows)
5 ex Korean Air (doomsday planes - E4-C)
2 ex Lufthansa (unknown).
Should also be pointed out that there is one more NTU BBJ frame that I could see the US givernment taking. Was orignonally supposed to go to a wealthy person in Saudi Arabia but it's just been sitting on Boeing property for like 15 years. There was another one that sat for ten years, sold in 2022 to the Egyptian government finally and spent three years being outfitted, and just got officially delivered two days ago.
Could be more doomsday planes, but there's already the five Korean Air planes doing that replacing just four existing... going from four to seven would be a big expansion. Plus, Korean Air is likely to sell another three to four of their remaining 747-8s soon.
What happens when it's in his presidential library. Can it continue to fly? Or is it just a static "asset" at that point?
There's already five ex Korean Air planes being converted for that, to be E4-Cs, replacing the existing four E4-Bs (three of which started life as E4-As).
Now, I know that imitation is the highest form of flattery, but really OMAAT, the login misappropriation is turning this website into a real circus and making Ben look like the head clown, yes?
The one at the Reagan library just sits indoors and looks pretty. I always think its a little sad to see an aircraft permanently gounded.
They need to expand the Doomsday fleet to make sure Trump can get all of his grifting family, mistresses, Nazi buddies, and crypto criminals a seat on board. He will then offer special $20M packages on board Trump Survival One for those who want to purchase a reserved seat.
One has to ask …. Is Ben really the head of this blog or is he being dictated too by the likes of 1990, etc?
The monkeys definitely have more to say than the organ grinder on these pages. Furthermore, what the monkeys are doing is simply repeating themselves due to their lack of original thought, yes?
If the us government needs so many 747-8 airframes…why didn’t they just buy them off the line. The line just shutdown like 3 years ago. The incompetence of DoD acquisitions never ceases to amaze.
The line was shut down. No more production, tooling destroyed. Unless a firm commitment for 100s of frames no way Boeing reopen production. Cost billions
Remember; the gifted Qatar jet being retrofitted to serve as AF1 will be donated to the Trump Library at the end of his term. My guess is the new 747s will not be ready by that time so the USAF is buying these two to serve in the interim.
That makes no sense to me (a guy with mo specific experience in what it takes to transform the planes). How could ot make sense to modify two now commercial jets over two that have been worked on for years?
In fact I do know how many Mussolini killed. We’re headed down a similar path - so far over 200 deportees killed in Honduras alone, death toll on the Venezuelan “drug boat” strikes is near 100, related to this term. In his prior term, approximately 400,000 excess deaths attributed to COVID based on the US’ failure to mount a proper public health emergency response. The US is not launching any kind of coordinated attack on the current Measels outbreak so that number will grow too. We are well on our way to Mussolini levels of death. By all means, brand me a “disgusting fool” but the data speaks for itself, for those that wish to educate themselves.
Worth noting that there's a few ex Korean Air 747-8s sitting on the apron of my home airport of DAY right now. Sierra Nevada Corporation is converting them into replacements for the E-4 as others have noted. There's three on the ground there and KE's other out of service 747-8 flew to Anchorage last week which would be enough to replace the 4 E-4's they already have but maybe they want to expand the fleet a bit?
This comment section is an echo chamber of propaganda and delusion. You sad attacks and “orange man bad” have rung hollow for years now. Just mad he’s finally taking out the trash.
People realize the government flies a lot more planes than just Air Force One right? With the plane end of life, it would also make sense to stockpile a couple airframes for spare parts. There will be 2-3 Air Force one planes, have to have at least 1 backup. And there will be some other military command planes, same capability as Air Force one without all the luxury for the president.
What is up with the TDS and horrid political comments in these travel blog readers??? HOw can so many have drunk the Koolaide????
I would guess a 12yo 747 is cheaper than a new one, even if they were still being produced. If they fit their eventual role, I love the government getting a bargain. You don't?
How would that work? The two ex-LH planes would need to be modified. How could they possibly be ready before the two that have years of work done already. I recognize the orange idiot wants the ex-Qatari plane for his library. One hopes that, after maybe a billion dollars of work, the U.S. doesn't just hand over a plane with many years left.
Could you elaborate? I see no obvious corruption in the US buying used planes, given we don't know how they will be used.
The US flies a whole bunch of flying command posts, doomsday aircraft (google "operation looking glass"), and similar. Many are aging out (B707 airframes among others) so one speculation was replacing them based either on modern airliners or C130 variants. This might be where the airliners would be coming from.
Silly Story. Most likely becoming airborne command and control. Love the deranged comments by your readers.
I am trying to write this without sounding to partisan one way or another. My politics are a bit different from either the right or left.
If the Boeing 747's are going to the USAF.. good. Still thinking that for Boeing or Airbus to totally end offering either the B747 or A380 was dumb. t minimum they should be available by a special build.
Frankly in my view, as part of safety by anonymity, the POTUS should be on a normal military jet whenever they are transferred. This way no one really knows which plane he is on really...
As several posters have noted, the purchase of these two 747-8s are more likely related to the airborne nuclear command post roles that the USAF needs replacement aircraft for. Contractor Sierra Nevada purchased several 747-8s from Korean Airlines to convert ( https://www.flightglobal.com/fixed-wing/sierra-nevada-begins-flight-testing-e-4c-doomsday-aircraft/164369.article).
Recent news articles state the USAF will take over the role of Looking Glass from the US Navy ( https://breakingdefense.com/2025/12/air-force-poised-to-retake-looking-glass-mission-from-navy/).
For long-range, long-endurance missions, the USAF would prefer four-engine 747s over any of the twin-engine airliners Boeing produces now (or any Airbus aircraft like the A380), hence the need to purchase used 747-8s.
You might want to look up the story on the replacement of the USAF’s “Doomsday” 747 fleet.
These are used aircraft that Lufthansa obviously cycles out on a regular basis. As for what the US government wants with them, who knows. For sure they will not be used for AF1. Even the 747 gifted to Trump is too old at 14 years to be AF1. Trump only wants it because it is glitzy inside. I say let him have it and he can pay for the maintenance. AF1 needs to be a brand new aircraft and purpose built to AF1 standards. Would you sink $400 mil into a used plane? Neither would I.
Please, can we all just stop responding to this guy? Let's not give him the attention he so desperately craves.
Please, can we all just stop responding to this guy? Let's not give him the attention he so desperately craves.
Seriously, the USAF owns thousands of airplanes, not sure why a purchase of two planes triggers TDS. Including the author, turning into Matt at LALF.
Rumour Control is speculating that a New AF1 is already on the drawing boards in Toulouse, based upon an updated A350.
I'm not a seppo so no skin in the game, but make sure you keep that energy up when one of your friends or family gets arrested
Could be for new doomsday plane or similar… the AF has other uses for 4 engine planes besides AF1 , and they wouldn’t buy a380s….
You can't just spin up a small run of airliners for "special build". Firstly you would have to store all the tooling somewhere "just in case" which is a massive amount of large stuff, then you have to make production space somewhere in a place that's already full making planes that actually make a profit, then you have to have all your suppliers do the same because the airframe manufacturers don't actually make the majority (and those suppliers are often on thinner margins).
Living in cloud cuckoo land if you think the manufacturers would do all that for maybe 8 airframes between them
Does President Yamtits know they aren’t his to take after he leaves offfice in a few years?
Buying two aircraft to put into the US Airforce program is corrupt? can you explain?
This is smart move and shows that government is planning for the future.
Get these assets now and store them properly so that when parts are required they will be readily available.
Pretty embarrassing that the supposedly richest, most powerful, and omnipotent nation (it's not) on the planet, not to mention the greatest country the world has ever known (also, not true) has to go shopping in the second hand market to replace a 35+ year old plane its leader flies on and can't figure this out on its own. Hilarious actually.
Is this the real AeroB13a, and you forgot to log-in, or are you impersonating others on here?
He's harassing others, calling Ben's valued posts covering relevant news and insights "clickbait", calls everyone who disagrees with him a communist, etc. These are just some of examples to give you an idea.
What is the reason to not ban that guy? How about you tell me that.
what is beyond sad is that some people don't understand that the US government is just as constrained by supply chain realities as private companies.
If a product is not in production, the supply chain is smaller and thinner. There are airlines that understand and live with that reality; not sure why some people would think that any other aviation user including a government would not do the same thing.
N17017, please be advised that the original AeroB13a, me (diamond), I actually have to agree with you in regard to banning all fake/duplicate logins. The total lack of website security which easily leads to duplicity and confusion, is as annoying to the victims, as it is to reader like you.
Ben, has been made aware of this pathetic security situation for some months now, however, he chooses not to address the problem. It is my understanding that a properly registered login name should be linked only too the registered email address. Ben’s failure to address his security issues can only mean one thing …. Clicks = Cents!
Finally, it is only too easy to ‘shoot the messenger’, rather than take positive action to stop the duplicate logins, I trust that neither you, nor I, are penalised for being the messenger’s highlighting this lax behaviour.
SIO, please be advised that the comment to which you refer is from an imposter.
The real/original AeroB13a will only post after logging in, following which the (Diamond) status will be included.
Ben, has been made aware of this pathetic security situation for some months now, however, he chooses not to address the problem. It is my understanding that a properly registered login name should be linked only too the registered email address. Ben’s failure to address his security issues can only mean one thing …. Clicks = Cents!
Finally, it is only too easy to ‘shoot the messenger’, rather than take positive action to stop the duplicate logins, I trust that neither you, nor I, are penalised for being the messenger’s highlighting this lax behaviour.
Benjamin, how do you know this? If you have more information, please publish it.
What I believe you are alluding to Tim, is that the World has become dependent upon cheap and nasty Chinese components, yes?
The Chinese are world renowned for copying others. Today and for some time now, they have been looking back in history to see how they can benefit from past events. They are simply copying the industrial revolution which led to the creation of the British Empire. England ruled the waves and was the industrial powerhouse for all commodities.
Why can't AF1 be a modified 777 or 787, both of which are actually in production? 747s are impressive, but sadly no longer in production.
its embarrassing that the US government is buying planes on the open market that is no longer in production? and its also Hilarious...?
While ETOPS is fine for passengers, higher-security situations and people under active threat (especially heads of state and military missions in general) are still in 4-engine paradigms.
Fellas, clicks do equal cents, so N17017 is correct. Incentives are everything.
That said, I value my privacy and anonymity, so I'm reluctant to create profiles on this or any website. Sure, if Ben really wants to go through the trouble of researching IP addresses (most of us use VPNs anyway), he might be able to identify the humans behind original and fakes, but he's got better things to do with his time. The best we may get from him is a rhetorical: "hey, knock it out, guys..."
Yet, the recent excessive imitations are leading me to seriously consider it. Where I have to disagree with N17017 is on 'banning' others on here, because, too quickly it becomes about differences of mere opinion, not violating rules or norms. Just be careful about those calls to 'ban' others.
Aero, that's unfortunately. He's been copying me for about a week or so. Sometimes it's good-fun, but recently, he started insulting others, calling them names, which I don't tend to do. I'll admit, I've used the Trump retort of 'Quiet Piggy' at you a few times. Apologies if that was in bad-taste. I do enjoy good-faith banter with you and some others on here. This is the O.G. 1990. You know me from my advocacy for an EU-261 equivalent in the US. (And, perhaps, my support of Taiwan, and my lack of support for Turkey's Erdogan.)
Woah, calling 'daddy' an 'orange idiot' is not what I expected to read from 'This comes to mind.' I thought you were more center-right, if anything. Agreed, this farce with any of the 747s is a real shame. The fact that Jimmy Carter had to give up his peanut farm and this guy can do all this blatant corruption is astounding. Really shocks the conscience.
1990, this is not the first time you have engaged in attempting to answer for Ben, can you explain why we should not put two and two together and come to the conclusion that they make four?
Either the planes are in such an excellent condition (Lufthansa Technik is highly regarded) or LH is a great at negotiating.
$200Mil per plane is excellent compared to the fact that Korean sold 5 of their B747-8i for $675mil which comes to $135mil per plane.
The A340-600 will replace the B748 on FRA-ORD route from January.
1990, the only thing which I (or anyone else) knows for certain, is our own identity. This website has some very serious security issues. You know this only too well I suspect. You probably also know that it is not beyond the realms of possibility to prevent login misappropriation. By simply linking a login I.D. to an email address, will automatically prevent misuse.
Another observation is the fact that the report button is simply for show …. no known action is taken by website administrators. Therefore, one has to ask publicly, why?
Wait..are there gonna be a total of five 747-8s? 2 new from Russia, 1 from Qatar and 2 now from LH?
The Transaero ones were never delivered to Russia; so, it's not like Putin is gifting two 747s to Trump, though, honestly, if that were to happen, it wouldn't even surprise me. The corruption these days is so blatant. Sheesh.
although aerospace is a global business, the 747 was assembled in the US of largely US built components. It is more "American" than the 787.
and let us know what parts of the 747 were built in China.
The real issue that many are failing to address is why LH is selling any of their 748s and would they sell more if the US government was willing to buy.
The US is helping Korean because they have made clear that the 748s and 380s don't have a long term future - but they had smaller fleets of super jumbos.
Some people clearly struggle to grasp to accept that the US government, like every other government, either owns the means of production or is subject to the same supply chain issues that private companies face.
It really is far less political than the reality of operating an orphan fleet which could be in service for decades to come.
Now Tim, please do not try to tell the readers of this website that the 747 is 100% U.S. parts. One might well be correct in saying that the aircraft was designed and built in the U.S. on might well be correct in saying that the majority of the components were manufactured in the U.S. too. However, how many of those U.S. components can be sourced today without relying upon China?
I know the Transaeros are not gifts but originally AF1 was planning for 2 planes and now we're up to 5 frames.
Technically the 777 pax version isn't in production but that doesn't take away from your question
Redundancy may not be a bad thing in these case; the issue is how this particular administration has gone about it. Basically, Trump wants more 'gold' on his plane, and he wants a free plane for himself and his family after he's out (if we can ever get rid of him.)
I think the Minnesota Somalis are buying the rest. Four hundred million is chump change to them
Never ever would the US even consider an Air Force One aircraft that is not built in the USA from an American manufacturer. This is actually a law, I believe.
If our cheeto-in-chief is made happy by playing with some new toys, there's less of a chance that he'll get interested in other (more important) things to F up.
I'm surprised about one just being used for spares/ground training. Given there must be significant commonality between -8i and -8F, there's still a sizeable overall -8 fleet requiring a supply chain.
Having 1 frame to support basic flight training across VC-25B and E-4C fleets makes sense to maximise availability and lifespan on operational aircraft.
LH has cancelled bookings in first class from SFO to FRA because, yes you guessed it, they don't have enough 747-8's.