USAF Talking to Airbus About A380 Air Force 1, C-5 Replacement?

A380 super-jumbo(click to view full) Flight International reports that the EADS has responded to 2 separate inquiries from USAF Air Mobility Command (AMC) about its A380 super-jumbo jet, which was delivered to Singapore Airlines on Oct 15/07 after a long delay that saw key customers defer or cancel their orders. One request was part of a market survey for “VIP Large Aircraft Recapitalization.” AMC currently operates 2 aircraft of this type: the 2 VC-25 “Air Force One” 747-200 planes that transport the President, and can act as a flying briefing room and/or command post, and 4 more C-32 “Air Force Two” 757s that transport the Vice-President, cabinet members, and other figures… Air Force One(click to view full) The AMC survey reportedly solicited data about the A380 super-jumbo, the 4-engined A340-600 stretched version, and the 2-engine wide body A330-200. The A330-200 was also submitted to the USAF as the basis of EADS/ Northrop Grumman’s joint bid for the $20-30 billion KC-X aerial tanker competition. If there is a competition to replace Air Force One, Boeing’s offering is very likely to be the 747-8, which incorporates engine and wing technologies from the 787 Dreamliner. C-5 & KC-135:KC-135 = 707 airliner!(click to view […]