The U.S. Air Force is fast tracking the acquisition of two (and probably three) Boeing 747-8 jet airliners to serve as the new Air Force One, or the "Flying White House" reserved exclusively for use by the President of the United States.

The two existing Boeing 747-200B aircraft that currently serve as Air Force One will reach the end of their 30-year useful service lives in 2017. In Air Force service as Air Force One, the two Boeing 747-200Bs received the military designation, Boeing VC-25.

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The two Boeing VC-25s that now serve as Air Force One have the tail numbers 28000 and 29000, and the call signs SAM 28000 and SAM 29000.

A VC-25 is equipped with both secure and unsecure phone and computer communications systems, enabling the president to perform duties while airborne, in the event of a nuclear attack on the United States. It also has defensive systems such as flares and radar jammers.

The presidential air fleet is operated by the Air Force 89th Airlift Wing at Andrews Field, Maryland. Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio manages the presidential aircraft replacement program.

SAM 28000 and SAM 29000 are being replaced because their airworthiness is becoming suspect and the cost of maintaining them is becoming uneconomical.

Kevin Buckley, program executive officer of mobility programs headquartered at the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center at Wright-Patterson, noted "it's becoming way too expensive and way too difficult" to keep both aircraft flying.

Buckley is responsible for replacing both planes. Although the Air Force selected the faster, larger and more fuel efficient Boeing 747-8 to become the new Air Force One in January 2015, the new jet might see first flight in 2024 after spending years taking-on special modifications.

Both the Air Force and Boeing have refused to say how much the new Air Force Ones will cost but the price tag of a Boeing 747-8 passenger airliner comes to some $370 million. Adding all the electronic, communications, computer and defensive systems to the plane should see costs jump to over $500 million.

One analyst said the main factor that boosts the price tag of an Air Force One is the costly modifications and equipment that must be installed on these unique aircraft.

The 747-8 is the largest 747 version. It's also the largest commercial aircraft built in the United States and the longest passenger aircraft in the world. This third generation Boeing 747 features a lengthened fuselage, redesigned wings and improved efficiency.

TagsAir Force One, U.S. Air Force, Flying White House, Boeing 747-8, Boeing 747-200B, Boeing VC-25