US Air Force Announces Trump-Preferred Paint Scheme for Future Presidential Jet

The new color scheme is the first design change since President John F. Kennedy.

This artist rendering depicts the VC-25B in its new livery. The U.S. Air Force is implementing this red, white, gold and dark blue paint scheme for the VC-25B, 747-8i as well as the executive airlift fleet, which includes four C-32 aircraft. Courtesy of the U.S. Air Force

The U.S. Air Force revealed a new paint scheme for its executive airlift fleet—red, white, dark blue, and gold. The military published a photo of the new design, featuring an all navy bottom belly, on Wednesday.

“This artist rendering depicts the VC-25B in its new livery,” the Air Force said. “The U.S. Air Force is implementing this red, white, gold, and dark blue paint scheme for the VC-25B, 747-8i, as well as the executive airlift fleet, which includes four C-32 aircraft.”

The redesign of the executive fleet is the first shift from the white and two-tone blue livery used since President John F. Kennedy’s administration.

The new colors will appear on the VC-25B, the military version of Boeing’s 747-8i jetliner, which is expected to be the future plane used for Air Force One.

It will also apply to four modified Boeing 757-200 jets that carry the vice president, cabinet officials, members of Congress, and other high-ranking personnel.

These aircraft will receive the livery during routine maintenance. One has already been repainted and is slated for delivery in the coming months.

The new design incorporates aspects of a red, white, and blue scheme preferred by President Donald Trump during his first term. He directed the new design in 2018, which was abandoned in 2022 over concerns that darker hues could lead to overheating problems.

“The baby blue doesn’t fit with us,” Trump told Fox News in a phone interview in 2019. “I like the concept of red, white, and blue, and the classic, and I think it’s going to look much better actually.”

The Biden administration said the plan “could drive additional engineering, time and cost.”

The Air Force previously said that thermal analysis found that Trump’s preferred dark blue would require further Federal Aviation Administration testing for components.

The Air Force did not immediately return a request for comment by The Epoch Times on how the new design allayed the thermal issues that undermined Trump’s earlier proposal.

In March 2023, President Joe Biden chose a livery similar to the existing VC-25A design, scrapping the colors chosen by Trump. Biden’s choice featured a slightly deeper light blue tone, darker blue engines, as well as no polished metal sections, which modern aircraft alloys prohibit.

Air Force One Program

The Air Force One initiative includes modifying two 747-8 aircraft with upgraded communications and defensive capabilities to secure the president. The project is running four years behind. Deliveries are now anticipated in 2028, pushing the delivery date further back after previous delays. Boeing originally committed to delivering the planes in 2024.

The government meanwhile enlisted L3Harris Technologies to refurbish a Boeing 747 previously operated by the Qatari government, which could take years to complete.

The United States received the luxury jet as an unconditional gift from Qatar in 2025. The White House directed the Air Force to hasten upgrades for its use as an interim Air Force One while the government awaits the Boeing deliveries.

The Air Force One program has been delayed and seen its cost increase since Boeing won a $3.9 billion fixed-price contract in 2018 to produce two modified 747-8s as replacements for the existing fleet. Costs for the effort have mounted to over $5 billion. The current presidential planes entered service in 1990.

The Air Force purchased in December two used 747-8 aircraft for $400 million for crew training, as well as to provide spare parts in preparation for the transition from the older 747-200 models.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.