CNN
—
The US Air Force unveiled a new color scheme for the new Air Force One jets under construction on Friday, doing away with the darker red, white, and blue chosen by former President Donald Trump and opting for a modernized version of the classic design of the president’s aircraft.
The color scheme also scraps the design Trump wanted for Air Force One, which featured a deep red stripe down the middle of the aircraft and a dark blue underbelly. It was confirmed that Trump’s preferred color scheme had been rejected last year because it would require additional engineering, increasing the time it would take to build and the cost of the aircraft, which has already suffered numerous delays. The dark blue paint threatened to overheat sophisticated electronic components on board and would have required additional Federal Aviation Administration qualification testing, the Air Force said.
Instead, the “Next Air Force One,” as it’s known, will feature largely the same colors as the aircraft it is replacing, with one subtle exception. Renderings provided first to CNN show the shade of blue around the nose and engines of the aircraft will be a darker color than the current robin’s egg blue. The overall scheme stays true to the design Air Force One has sported since President John F. Kennedy was in the White House 60 years ago.
