For The Life Of One Man, the Most Secure Aircraft In The World

14 Jun For The Life Of One Man, the Most Secure Aircraft In The World

A president of the United States does not travel lightly. He has an array of speciality vehicles to help him move around in safety and comfort, on land and in the air. And none is more iconic than the presidential plane – Air Force One.

“Air Force One” is not technically a plane: It’s simply the radio call name for any U.S. Air Force plane carrying the president of the United States. As soon as the president steps aboard an Air Force plane, that plane is referred to as Air Force One by the crew and all air traffic controllers, in order to avoid confusion with any other planes in the area. If the president rides on an Army aircraft, that aircraft is Army One, and whenever he boards his specialized helicopter, that craft is Marine One.

In common parlance the term refers to those Air Force aircraft specifically designed, built, and used for the purpose of transporting the president. The presidential aircraft is a prominent symbol of the American presidency and its power.

According to Aerotime, they are almost as tall as a six story building, and they’re as long as a city block. Each has four General Electric CF6-80C2B1 jet engines, which provide 56,700 pounds of thrust a piece. The top speed is between 630 and 700 miles per hour and the ceiling maximum (how high the plane can fly) is 45,100 feet. Each plane carries 53,611 gallons of fuel and weighs 833,000 pounds fully loaded for a long-range mission. With a full tank, the plane can fly half way around the world.

Air Force One has 4,000 square feet of interior floor space. Much of it looks more like a hotel or executive office than a jetliner, except for the seatbelts on all the chairs. The lowest level of the plane mostly serves as cargo space. Most of the passenger room is on the middle level, and the upper level is largely dedicated to communications equipment.

The president has onboard living quarters, with his own bedroom, bathroom, work-out room and office space. Most of the furniture on the plane was hand-crafted by master carpenters.

The 3 Decks

Air Force One has three decks. Passengers can enter through three doors. Normally, when you see the president in the news getting on and off Air Force One with a wave, he is using the door onto the middle deck and a rolling staircase has been pulled up to the plane. Journalists normally enter through the rear door, where they immediately climb a staircase to the middle deck. Most of the press area looks something like the first class section of an ordinary jetliner, with comfortable, spaced-out seats.

The crew prepares meals in two fully-equipped galleys. They store a large amount of food in freezers in the lower sections of the plane. The crew is equipped to feed about 100 people at a time, and the storage area holds as many as 2,000 meals.

The plane has a lot of technology in its onboard medical facility. The medical room has an extensive pharmacy, loads of emergency room equipment and even a fold-out operating table. The plane also has a staff doctor, who travels with the president wherever he goes. On every mission, the plane is prepared for a wide range of potential emergencies.

Unlike a normal 747, the plane has its own retractable stairways, for the rear entrance and the front entrance. These stairways open onto the lower deck, and crew members and staff climb internal staircases to get to the upper decks. The plane also has its own baggage-loader. With these additions, the plane never has to depend on an airport’s facilities, which could be a security risk.

The most remarkable feature on the plane is its extensive electronics. It has 85 onboard telephones, a collection of two-way radios, fax machines and computer connections. It also has 19 televisions and assorted office equipment. The phone system is set up for normal air to ground connections and secure lines. The president and his staff can reach just about anybody in the world while cruising tens of thousands of feet in the air.

The onboard electronics include about 238 miles of wiring (twice the amount you’d find in a normal 747). Heavy shielding is tough enough to protect the wiring and crucial electronics from the electromagnetic pulse associated with a nuclear blast.

Another special addition is the in-flight refueling connection. As with the B-2 and other combat craft, in-flight refueling gives Air Force One the ability to stay up in the air indefinitely, which could be crucial in an emergency situation.

Some of the most interesting parts of the plane – its advanced avionics and defenses — are classified. But the Air Force asserts the two planes are definitely military aircraft, designed to withstand an air attack. Among other things, the plane is outfitted with electronic counter measures (ECM) to jam enemy radar. The plane can also eject flares to throw heat-seeking missiles off course.

For short trips in the air, the president uses a helicopter – recognisable by its predominantly green body and white top.

Marine One and The Beast

Marine One – again, not just one helicopter, but the name for any Marine Corps aircraft carrying the US president – usually refers to a VH-3D Sea King or a VH-60N White Hawk.

According to BBC, decoy versions of Marine One often fly alongside the president’s helicopter. It is also usually accompanied in the air by escort aircraft, including the Osprey MV-22 – known as a “Green Top”.

The tilt-rotor aircraft are capable of vertical take-off and landing, and are designed to combine the functions of a helicopter with the range of a turboprop aircraft.

Once on the ground, the President usually transfers from Air Force One or Marine One to Cadillac One – nicknamed The Beast.

The 5.5-metre-long (18ft) Beast can hold at least seven people and has a wide range of medical supplies on board, including a fridge with blood matching the president’s blood type, in case of an emergency.

The newest generation of the Beast debuted in 2018. Manufacturer General Motors and the Secret Service have not given much away about the car’s specific security features. But reports suggest it weighs about nine tonnes (20,000lb), and has an armour-plated body and bulletproof windows.

It reportedly has tear gas grenade launchers, night vision cameras and a built-in satellite phone. The passenger cabin is said to be sealed, and the tyres are reinforced so the car can still move even with flat tyres.