
USAF chooses 747-8 as next Air Force One - protomyth
http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/usaf-chooses-747-8-as-next-air-force-one-408408/
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protomyth
The last paragraph of the article:

"The Air Force already knew it would need a four-engine, wide-body aircraft to
meet the needs of the Air Force One mission, which carries the president on
long-haul journeys and serves as a command post during emergencies. The Air
Force in 2007 first approached Airbus for information on the A380 and Lockheed
about the C-5. Airbus subsequently declined to offer the A380 for the
competition, saying it would be impractical to set up final assembly in the
USA."

I am a little confused over having a C-5 as a possible Air Force 1. It just
seems like an odd choice.

~~~
dalke
I interpret it as a sort of CYA policy. The 747 is the obvious fit for the
requirement, but they need to ensure that they tried other possibilities, as
otherwise it might look like simply giving money to Boeing.

~~~
protomyth
That's probably it. I guess some CYA is needed since the entire modification
contract was given to Boeing.

