What are the characteristics of "Air Force II" compared to "Air Force One"? Demystify the US Air Force II special aircraft

Source: Global Times

According to the Associated Press, US Vice President Harris recently took the special plane "Air Force Ii" on his first visit, but the special plane was forced to return due to technical failures, which also made the outside world have a strong interest in the special plane specially arranged by the United States for the vice president.

The US "Air Force One" is famous for the exclusive use of the US president, including two VC-25 aircraft converted from Boeing 747 airliners, which are used for backup use by each other. The U.S. Air Force's fleet for Air Force II includes four C-32A aircraft converted from Boeing 757 airliners. All four aircraft entered service in 1998 and are now over 20 years old. These four planes are intended for use by senior officials such as the Vice President and the Secretary of State, but only when the Vice President is on board can they be called Air Force Two. Therefore, like "Air Force One", "Air Force Two" is also a special call sign to refer to the special plane taken by the VICE PRESIDENT of the United States.

According to the US military website, the C-32A aircraft has a maximum range of 10,100 kilometers, a maximum flight altitude of 12,727 meters, a speed of 853 kilometers per hour, a total of 16 crew members, and can carry 45 passengers. The entire aircraft includes 4 parts in addition to the cockpit. The front fuselage includes a communications center, kitchen, lavatory and 10 business class seats, which are used by technicians who communicate with the ground by the Vice President. The central fuselage includes a fully enclosed meeting room, dressing room, private toilet, two first-class seats, and a three-seat sofa. The sofa can be unfolded into a bed. Apparently, the Central Cabin was provided for the Vice President or other dignitaries. The tail fuselage includes 8 business class seats, which are the cabins used by the vice president's staff. The final section includes 32 business class seats, 2 washrooms and a kitchen for accompanying journalists. Under U.S. law, accompanying media or other business people pay for their seats.

Compared with "Air Force One", the most prominent feature of "Air Force Two" is that it has strong track adaptability. Air Force One has higher requirements for the airport runway due to its larger size. Therefore, in some specific circumstances, the US president will also choose to travel in the C-32A aircraft, so that "Air Force Ii" becomes "Air Force One".

As of now, the C-32A has been in service for more than 20 years and will reach a 25-year service period in 2023. And Boeing stopped production of boeing 757 aircraft in 2005. To replace these older models, last year the U.S. Air Force awarded high-speed business jet research and development contracts to three companies. However, judging from this year's budget, the US Air Force canceled the upgrade plan of the C-32A aircraft. (Zhang Yifan)