The US Air Force announced plans Tuesday to purchase two Boeing 747-8 aircraft to support its future presidential airlift program, with an Air Force official confirming it would acquire the planes from German carrier Lufthansa.

While still four years late, it’s an improvement on the last estimates for the troubled program, which has been plagued by workforce issues and cost overruns.

The U.S. Air Force is buying two Boeing 747-8is from Lufthansa for training and spares as part of the delayed program to replace the current VC-25A “Air Force One” fleet, the service has confirmed to Aviation Week.

The purchase is separate from two 747-8i aircraft that Boeing is currently modifying under the VC-25B program, which will serve as the next generation of Air Force One. The first of those heavily modified aircraft is expected to ⁠be delivered in mid-2028, the Air Force said.

The United States Air Force maintains a complex network of installations designed to project air power and support global operations. There are many measurements by which to compare the bases that form the global network, but one of the simplest and most illustrative is the number of aircraft stationed at each one.

We almost had a midair collision up here,’ the JetBlue pilot said. ‘They don’t have their transponder turned on, it’s outrageous’

Tanker maintenance workers spend their days crawling in and out of fuel tanks. New tech might make a hard job a little easier.

President Trump’s Air Force One delivery has slipped behind schedule again after the US Air Force admitted that the project would be delayed by another year.