New Design of Future Presidential Aircraft

 

New Air Force One (2026)
Rendering of SAM (Special Air Missions), a US Air Force C32B             Rendering of SAM (Special Air Missions), a US Air Force C32B
Type Of Activity	Presidential Transport
Location
Location	Joint Base Andrews
Date of Activity	Unknown delivery
Coordinates	33°40′34″N 117°43′52″W

After a U.S. Air Force C-32A tail number 99-0003 emerged with a fresh paint scheme which was recently spotted by aviation enthusiasts departing Greenville Majors Airport, where the fleet regularly receives maintenance, upgrades, and overhauls from L3Harris—replacing the long-standing egg-blue and white livery—U.S. government sources confirmed the design, originally proposed by Donald Trump, will become the standard for American VIP aircraft, including those used as Air Force One.

The paint scheme is based on the one unveiled by President Trump in 2019, during his first term. It was designated under that administration as the new livery for the VC-25B aircraft that will in the future serve as the primary ‘Air Force One’ aircraft, but this decision was later overturned by President Biden’s administration. No definitive comment had been made so far in Trump’s second administration to say that the decision would be reversed again.

On Feb. 18, 2026, a new rendering appeared on the Defense Visual Information Distribution Service (DVIDS) showing a Boeing 747-8-based VC-25B in the updated colors

Listed as a courtesy image, it effectively confirmed the dark blue, red, gold, and white scheme for the next generation of presidential aircraft—though the illustration itself originated from an earlier Boeing release. The livery matches the scale model displayed in the Oval Office during Trump’s second term, replacing a model from his first term that depicted an earlier variation.

President Trump showing off a model of AF-1 with the new paint scheme

The rendering shows the aircraft flying above Alaska’s Denali. The peak has renewed political relevance after federal usage reverted from the Obama-era Mount McKinley designation back to Denali.

Changes From the Original 2019 Concept

Compared with the initial proposal, several updates are visible. The U.S. flag on the tail now appears in a “waving” style rather than the flat format used on the current VC-25A. This treatment also appeared on the newly repainted C-32A and on Trump’s privately owned Boeing 757.

The New Design for AF-1

The engines, previously depicted in dark blue, are now white. The change likely reflects heat-management concerns around sensitive equipment such as antennas and defensive systems, though final details will only be clear once the aircraft is completed.

The old paint scheme proposed for the new AF-1

The Interim 747

An interim presidential aircraft—registration N7478D, formerly operated by the Qatari royal family—is also expected to receive the new scheme. Because the VC-25B’s service entry has slipped from 2024 to roughly 2028, this converted jet may be the only 747 in the colors flown during Trump’s presidency.

The U.S. Air Force expects the Boeing 747 gifted by the government of Qatar to begin flying as an interim Air Force One (the callsign used when the U.S. President is on board) as early as summer 2026. Officially designated as “VC-25 bridge aircraft,” the 747 is intended to temporarily supplement the aging VC-25A fleet while the long-delayed VC-25B replacement program continues to slip.

Configuration differences between the interim aircraft and the VC-25B remain unclear, but both will lack the aerial refueling capability of the VC-25A fleet. Publicly, that capability has never been used operationally and was reportedly considered too risky even during the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks. For training, crews instead maintain proficiency aboard the Boeing E-4B Nightwatch.

While a certain level of advanced communications and self-defense capability will be required regardless, it’s unlikely that the interim aircraft will come close to meeting the standards of the VC-25B in these areas. Some have raised the notion that the interim aircraft may only serve Presidential travel within the United States, to mitigate the potential effects of any shortfalls in capability. Overseas trips would, until replacements are ready, continue to be flown by the venerable VC-25As.

That arrangement would preserve flight hours on the aging aircraft—especially useful given frequent presidential travel to Mar-a-Lago and incidents such as the January diversion to Davos for the World Economic Forum (WEF). The President was quickly transferred from the VC-25A, which had reportedly suffered a “minor electrical issue”, to a C-32A to resume his journey. 

Presidential Communications on Air Force One

For obvious security reasons, exact technical details on Presidential communications are difficult to come by in the public domain. We do know that the U.S. Air Force upgraded some of the phone systems on board its VIP aircraft fleet in the early 2010s, replacing the well-known white and beige twin phone handset system that dated from the 1980s. The white phones were used for unsecure lines, while beige handsets could be used for secure calls.

The President has also been pictured making use of Cisco VoIP (voice over internet protocol) office-style phones on board both VC-25 and C-32 aircraft. These phones were implemented throughout the White House and associated Presidential locations, including aircraft, in the 2000s in a technical refresh, but were used alongside the existing white and beige phones rather than in place of them.

                                                          Old white (non-secure) and beige (secure) phones aboard Air Force One in 2009,                                 along with a Cisco VoIP phone

.

The new phones installed in this upgrade were an L-3 Communications product branded Airborne Executive Phone (AEP), and these phones have been shown continuing in use with the Obama administration. The handsets can be connected to both secured and unsecured lines, with a built in LED and display showing color indicators denoting which type of call is currently in progress – red for secured, green for unsecured

The secure link used by the AEP is also provided by L-3, via the Global Secure Information Management System (GSIMS). The GSIMS is essentially a bunch of modules that integrate various inputs (analog radio, digital radio, internet data access) into a single IP-based system that's managed from a workstation (pictured above). Exact details on how the GSIMS keeps data secure is (obviously) hard to come by. We can take an educated guess, though: There'll be another GSIMS (or similar compatible system) at the receiving end, and between them they will provide Multiple Independent Levels of Security (MILS) through lots of encryption.

L-3 GSIMS operators console

Finally, you might be wondering why a non-secure mode exists at all. Surely the President and his staff want to always be secure, but for a secure line to exist both callers need to be using a secure phone. If you tried to call a non-secure phone from a secure phone, all you'd hear is encrypted  unreadable sounds.

On February 26, 2009, President Obama was photographed conducting an interview while using an Airborne Executive Phone (AEP) handset aboard Air Force One. The AEP system, installed as part of a communications upgrade to the presidential aircraft fleet in the early 2010s, features handsets that can access both secure and unsecure lines.

New AEP phone on Air Force One. Note the red LED on the handset

An integrated LED and display indicate the type of line in use—red for secured calls and green for unsecured calls—ensuring clear communication protocols for sensitive conversations. 

The presence of this advanced technology on Air Force One underscores the importance of secure and reliable communications for the President during official travel.