Procuring an aircraft (or set of aircraft) for use by a Head of State is no easy task.
Nor should it be – especially when it comes to selecting transport for the leader of one of the most powerful countries in the world. With that being said, the upcoming replacement for the US Presidential aircraft has had more than its fair share of ups and downs, with delays and lawsuits plaguing the program's progress. So what is the latest in this ongoing saga?
For quite some time, it was expected that the first modified Boeing 747-8 would arrive sometime in 2024. Interestingly, The Drive reported in June 2019 that the Trump Administration was hoping to expedite the first delivery, with December 2023 being the target.
Of course, as time has passed, even the original 2024 target has started to become increasingly questionable, with speculation that the first delivery won't happen until 2025.
This is because Boeing's primary contractor performing the modification work on the jumbo jets was dropped early last year. In April 2021, Boeing sued contractor GDC Technics, for delays and missed deadlines, which it said quote "resulted in millions of dollars in damages to Boeing and threaten to jeopardize work that is of critical importance to the (US Air Force) and the president of the United States." According to a whistleblower, these delays may have resulted from conflicts of interest between GDC's owners and other projects- an issue that will be discussed in the next section of this video.
GDC then countersued Boeing, claiming that the company was making them a scapegoat for their own failures. GDC Technics was seeking $20 million in damages. However, in another twist, the Texas-based firm filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Frequently referred to as a "reorganization" bankruptcy, the US Court states that the debtor usually remains "in possession" and may continue to operate its business, and may, with court approval, borrow new money.
Things changed again, when, later in the year, the two companies reached a compromise, with the firms agreeing to dismiss their respective litigation. While the two companies may actually work together on future projects, the Air Force One project is firmly off the table.
In early October 2021, GDC announced that it had completed its bankruptcy restructuring.
Boeing's official work with GDC had ceased by mid-2021, but that didn't mean an end to the drama surrounding the contractor and its involvement with the project. In a major report produced by San Antonio Express News, a whistleblower alleged that Boeing had actually outsourced its Air Force One modification work to a company owned by a foreign government. Indeed, allegations go on to note that at least one Saudi national was given top-secret Air Force One specifications, a clear issue of national security. The information was brought forth during GDC's bankruptcy case.
GDC Technics was 80% owned by the Saudi Arabian government, with the whistleblower alleging that the Saudi government diverted funds earmarked for the US VC-25B projects to complete work on two Boeing 787-8 aircraft belonging to the Saudi Finance Ministry. This took place before it quote "forfeited and abandoned all interests in GDC" in 2019.
