The US Air Force’s interim Air Force One aircraft has completed modification and flight testing and is now being painted ahead of a planned summer rollout, the Department of War has confirmed, with the aircraft due to be delivered to the Presidential Airlift Group in its new red, white and blue livery no later than summer 2026.
The VC-25B Bridge programme was launched in February 2025 as an urgent interim solution after Boeing’s long-term VC-25B deliveries slipped past their initial 2024 target and heavy maintenance cycles on the ageing VC-25A fleet, the current Air Force One, began to extend.
The U.S. Air Force was gifted a former Qatari head of state configured Boeing 747-8i as the bridge airframe, with L3Harris selected to carry out the complex communications and self-protection modifications required to bring the aircraft up to presidential airlift standards.
General Dale White, the Department of War’s direct reporting portfolio manager for Critical Major Weapon Systems, said the programme epitomised what was possible when clear accountability was placed on one individual and the entire enterprise aligned behind a single mission outcome, describing the goal as being to “deliver a bridge capability as soon as possible to relieve pressure on the aging VC-25A fleet.”
Air Force Chief of Staff General Ken Wilsbach said the programme was “a testament to the Air Force’s ability to innovate and rapidly evolve to ensure the continuity of our government under any conditions” and that the service’s commitment to providing the President with “a secure, resilient and reliable airborne command post is unwavering.”
To support the programme, the Air Force used three additional 747-8 airframes alongside the bridge aircraft itself. A leased Atlas Air 747-8F facilitated pilot qualification training between October 2025 and February 2026, while two former Lufthansa 747-8i aircraft were acquired, one as a dedicated trainer for aircrew and maintainers and one integrated into a parts pool to build long-term sustainment capacity.
Secretary of the Air Force Troy Meink said the programme was doing more than bridging a gap, describing it as “a strategic stand-up of a high-consequence fleet” that gave the Air Force invaluable lead time to mature training pipelines, synchronise supply chains and build the sustainment frameworks needed to keep the fleet mission-ready for the next 30 to 40 years.
The Bridge programme has also accelerated the delivery timeline for Boeing’s long-term VC-25B, now expected in 2028, a full year ahead of the previously updated schedule, with the Air Force crediting a disciplined approach to requirements stability as a key factor in achieving that improvement.
