US President Joe Biden is expected to arrive in India for the G20 summit today  September 7 in Air Force One. Here are some intriguing details about the highly customized Boeing airplane. Air Force One was originally referred to as any Air Force aircraft carrying the President but now designates one of two customized Boeing 747-200B series planes with tail codes 28000 and 29000

World’s most famous aircraft, the Air Force designation for the aircraft is Boeing 747-200B VC-25A. With a towering height of 63 feet, the aircraft stands as tall as a six-floor building. Its impressive dimensions include a length of 232 feet and a wingspan spanning 195 feet.

Interior of Air Force One

What is inside the US President’s aircraft? With an incurred cost of more than $200,000/hour, Air Force One offers a spacious interior, spanning 4,000 square feet across three levels and accommodating up to 70 passengers.

The President’s suite is equipped with a large office, lavatory, and conference room while sleeping quarters are available for senior advisors, secret service officers, traveling press, and other guests.

What makes Air Force One a flying fortress? The aircraft has a top speed of 600 mph (965 km/h), 92 percent of the speed of sound, and has mid-air refueling capacity to help it stay in the air indefinitely. (Image: Wikimedia Commons)

The armour plating makes it nuclear blast-resistant on the ground and it can withstand an electromagnetic blast from a nuclear explosion. (Image: Wikimedia Commons)

A Troop Guarding US AIR FORCE ONE

The aircraft is equipped with hidden electronic jammers and flares to divert heat-seeking missiles, while electronic countermeasure defense systems have the capability to jam enemy radars. It also consists of multi-frequency radios for air-to-air and air-to-ground communication

Ahead of Air Force One, a cargo plane (C-141 Starlifter) carries the President’s bulletproof motorcade

Air Force One versus Putin One

Air Force One vs Putin Force One: which is more impressive?Air Force One vs Putin Force One

By modern standards, both presidential aircraft are dinosaurs but going by price and complexity of electronic equipment onboard, Putin’s craft is nothing.

American taxpayers paid $325 million for each VC-25 in the early 80s – over $1 billion in today’s money. It also costs $210,877 per hour to operate (like a half-a-squadron of F-35s), not including costly upgrades and refurbishments that it undergoes constantly.

The price estimates of Putin’s plane vary wildly. According to some reports, the cost of the new Il-96-300PU introduced in 2021 was $70 million;