The problems for the new US presidential aircraft

The next-generation US presidential aircraft, manufactured by Boeing Co., is facing longer delays due to the limited availability of skilled engineers in the job market, but also the smaller-than-expected number of appropriate safety certificates, as announced by the yesterday, Wednesday, the competent investigative service of the Congress.

The need for Boeing to turn to a supplier as an alternative to doing internal work on the aircraft was cited in the report prepared by the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) as a real threat to the construction schedule of the new presidential aircraft.

The "Air Force One" aircraft, which bears the American flag, the inscription "United States of America", and the emblem of the presidential office, is known around the world as a flying White House.

The aircraft currently in service has 372 square meters of space on three levels, including a meeting room and a doctor's office.

Boeing 747-8 aircraft are designed to fly under the worst-case scenario of security conditions, such as nuclear war, and have been modified to use naval equipment, advanced communications systems, and a self-defense system.

Boeing secured the relevant contract, with an economic value of 3,9 billion dollars (3,64 billion euros) in 2018 for two 747-8 aircraft, which should be delivered in 2024.

The Pentagon announced this year that the same aircraft are unlikely to have been delivered by 2026.

"Boeing is facing constraints on its engineers' workforce due to competition in the job market," the GAO report said. "As pointed out by the company, an additional restriction is found in the issuance of a smaller number of classified access permits for specialized workforce, compared to the original number and in order to ensure the planned modification of the aircraft."

Boeing, for its part, announced that it has focused its attention on delivering two excellent aircraft.

"We continue to make steady progress in the VC-25B program as we manage some challenges," the company said in a statement.

In December 2016, then-President-elect Donald Trump broke a commitment from then-Boeing CEO Dennis Mullenberg that the cost of replacing the presidential plane would not exceed $ 4 billion ($ 3,73 billion).

Source: ΑΠΕ ΜΠΕ