![]() ![]() It's estimated to house 67 satellite dishes in order to communicate with forces all over the globe should the worst occur. The exact details of its defenses aren’t available to the public, but it's said these planes are outfitted with radiation-proof windows, thermal and nuclear shielding, and countermeasures against direct fire. It's a worst-case scenario that has earned the plane nicknames like "the Flying Pentagon" and "the Doomsday Plane." military designed and built four Boeing E-4s as a way to protect the president and key government officials during the Cold War in the event of a nuclear attack. While the 747s have some impressive security features, there’s another plane out there that's prepared for a much bleaker outcome. Another presidential plane is known as the "Flying Pentagon." While useful, the plane has apparently never made use of the capability while a president has been on board. The feat is possible with the help of a fuel plane that flies overhead and refills Air Force One through the aircraft's nose. This gives the plane the impressive ability to stay in the air indefinitely should the need arise. Air Force One can be refueled in midair.Īir Force One can top off its tank in the middle of a flight when necessary. However, the White House states that the president would have everything necessary to respond to an attack on the United States while in the air. The plane also contains "advanced secure communications equipment," but the full details of what that entails are not available to the public. All onboard electronics are protected against electromagnetic pulses and hackers. Communication is protected aboard Air Force One.įull of electronics, televisions, and phones, Air Force One has everything the president needs in case of a crisis. The kitchen is equipped to prepare up to 2000 meals on a flight and can feed up to 100 people at a time. There’s also a medical center/operating room on board in case of an emergency, with a doctor present on every flight. The plane houses a large office, bedroom, bathroom, and a conference room that serves as an airborne Oval Office. This 800,000-pound 7 square feet of space distributed between three levels. The list of amenities on the modern Air Force One seems never-ending. ![]() President Bill Clinton aboard Air Force One in November 1997. Air Force One has offices, a bedroom, and a medical center on board. While the Lockheed VC-121 Constellation used at the time had office space and a small communications center, it only held about 16 people and didn’t contain nearly as many amenities as today’s planes. Of course, Eisenhower didn’t enjoy the same luxury of the current 747s back in the 1950s. ![]() This was especially true as the Cold War ramped up. Another consideration was that, as Commander-in-Chief of the military, it was important to not only know where the presidential airplane was, but whether the president was on it. According to a story told in Popular Mechanics, one possible reason behind the call sign came in 1953, when a nearby commercial aircraft was using the same "8610" sign as the president's plane, which could have led to a potentially dangerous mishap. The term Air Force One wasn’t used until Dwight D. Franklin Delano Roosevelt later became the first sitting president to fly in a plane when traveling overseas to a World War II conference. Louis, Missouri, on October 11, 1910, a year and a half after leaving office. Theodore Roosevelt is known as the "first flying president" after he took a ride in a Wright biplane in St. Eisenhower was the first to use the Air Force One call sign. For security reasons, the vice president and the president never fly on the same plane together. "Air Force Two" is the call sign for any Air Force aircraft carrying the vice president, who is usually found in a Boeing C-32. (We’ll also be referring to these planes as "Air Force One" throughout the article.) If a president is on a civilian aircraft-such as a personal plane-that plane is known as "Executive One." Now, though, it’s pretty much accepted to also use "Air Force One" as the names of the two Boeing 747-200Bs that the president regularly travels in, even when they're not on it. The term is actually a general call sign used for any Air Force aircraft that the president of the United States is currently on. When someone says "Air Force One," they could be describing a couple of different things. Air Force One isn’t technically the name of a plane. Here are a few things you might not know about Air Force One. This flying command center is responsible for bringing the Commander-in-Chief wherever they need to go around the globe, during both times of peace and through the uncertainty of war. Just as much a symbol of the presidency as the White House itself, Air Force One is one of the world’s most recognizable planes. ![]()
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