Via press release from the United States Air Force:
President of the United States Joe Biden selected the livery design for the “Next Air Force One,” VC-25B, a design that will closely resemble the livery of the current Air Force One, VC-25A, while also modernizing for the 21st century.
While accounting for the VC-25B’s larger 747-8i aircraft, the VC-25B livery has three primary differences with the VC-25A’s livery. The light blue on VC-25B is a slightly deeper, more modern tone than VC-25A’s robin’s egg blue.
Additionally, the VC-25B engines will use the darker blue from the cockpit area vice the VC-25A’s robin’s egg blue. Finally, there is no polished metal section on the VC-25B because modern commercial aircraft skin alloys don’t allow for it.
A formal contractual decision for a VC-25B livery was not required until this year for Boeing to conduct engineering, certification preparation, and supplier selection activities for the program.
The Air Force previously displayed a red, white, and blue livery for the VC-25B because it had been publicly expressed [JMG: by Trump] as a preferred livery in 2019.
A thermal study later concluded the dark blue in the design would require additional Federal Aviation Administration qualification testing for several commercial components due to the added heat in certain environments.
The VC-25B Program will deliver a new fleet of aircraft to enable POTUS to execute the duties of Head of State, Chief Executive, and Commander in Chief.
The aircraft will be uniquely modified to provide the POTUS, staff, and guests with safe and reliable air transportation with the equivalent level of communications capability and security available in the White House.
The new official paint design for the ‘Next Air Force One’ VC-25B aircraft has been selected. The modern design will closely resemble the livery of the current Air Force One, VC-25A.
Release: https://t.co/n5pLqAefR5 pic.twitter.com/SVISguGYs8
— Boeing Defense (@BoeingDefense) March 10, 2023
Farewell to the red-white-and-blue Trump plan for Air Force One’s livery … and welcome back to a livery much like the one that’s been used since JFK’s day. https://t.co/Qxf0iSCpn6
— Alan Boyle (@b0yle) March 11, 2023
President Biden’s predecessor denounced the historic blue of modern Air Force One as “a Jackie Kennedy color” and planned to have the next Presidential plane painted with dark red stripe that just happened to resemble that on the long-defunct “Trump Shuttle.” pic.twitter.com/cAATZJVvLZ
— Michael Beschloss (@BeschlossDC) March 10, 2023