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Boeing C-32
The Boeing C-32 is the United States Air Force designation for variants of the Boeing 757 in military service. Two variants exist, filling different parts of the military passenger transport role. The C-32A serves the Special Air Mission, providing executive transport and broad communications capabilities to senior political officials, while the C-32B Gatekeeper provides clandestine airlift to special operations and global emergency response efforts, a role known as "covered air."
The primary users of the C-32A are the vice president of the United States (using the call sign "Air Force Two" when aboard), the first lady, and the secretary of state. On occasion, other members of the president's cabinet and members of Congress have flown aboard the C-32A. The aircraft also occasionally serves as Air Force One in place of the larger VC-25A for a variety of reasons, including flying into smaller airports domestically or when the larger aircraft is not needed.
Less is known of the activities of C-32B, whose existence is not widely promoted by the Air Force. The B models are former commercial Boeing 757 aircraft used for global airlift and government crisis-response needs. The modified aircraft were acquired to support the U.S. State Department's Foreign Emergency Support Team, and have ties to special operations and the U.S. intelligence community.
The C-32 replaced the C-137 Stratoliner, achieving double the range yet able to land on shorter runways than that aircraft. The C-137 was based on the Boeing 707, and had been in service several decades.
The C-32A is the military designation for the Boeing 757-2G4, a variant of the Boeing 757-200 mid-size, narrow-body twin-engine jet airliner. The 757-2G4 has been modified for government VIP transport use, including a change to a 45-passenger interior and military avionics. A contract was awarded in August 1996 for four aircraft, which along with the smaller C-37A and later C-40 Clipper, would replace the aging fleet of VC-137 aircraft. The first plane was delivered to the 89th Airlift Wing at Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland in late June 1998. More aircraft were acquired later.
The C-32As are painted in the blue and white livery, vertical stabilizer flag, and prominent "UNITED STATES OF AMERICA" cheatline markings developed by Raymond Loewy at the behest of President Kennedy for use on Air Force One. The design is shared with most Special Air Mission aircraft. All of the C-32As have Pratt & Whitney PW2000 engines and winglets for added fuel economy.
Throughout the Obama, Trump, and Biden administrations, the interiors of the C-32As were slowly refitted with more luxurious accommodations, at a cost of $16 million per aircraft. Officially, the work was requested by the Air Force, and is being completed by a division of Boeing at Air Force facilities in Oklahoma. The retrofit includes upgraded and refurbished interior elements throughout, new carpets, lighting, leather seats and wood tables in place of cloth and formica, a complete painting and cleaning, and the replacement of the double-seat configuration with a triple-seat configuration, aft of door 3. The refit is controversial, with critics describing the spending as "posh" and "wasteful" and an effort to create "flying palaces," noting that the aircraft are well into the back half of their service lives. The War Zone observed that the spending appears to have little to do with the ability of the aircraft to accomplish its mission, noting that the C-32As have been continuously upgraded with improved communications, avionics, and countermeasures throughout their service lives without criticism.
The C-32As are operated by the 1st Airlift Squadron of the 89th Airlift Wing. They are available for use by the vice-president (using call sign Air Force Two), the first lady, and members of the cabinet and Congress (using SAM callsigns).
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Boeing C-32
The Boeing C-32 is the United States Air Force designation for variants of the Boeing 757 in military service. Two variants exist, filling different parts of the military passenger transport role. The C-32A serves the Special Air Mission, providing executive transport and broad communications capabilities to senior political officials, while the C-32B Gatekeeper provides clandestine airlift to special operations and global emergency response efforts, a role known as "covered air."
The primary users of the C-32A are the vice president of the United States (using the call sign "Air Force Two" when aboard), the first lady, and the secretary of state. On occasion, other members of the president's cabinet and members of Congress have flown aboard the C-32A. The aircraft also occasionally serves as Air Force One in place of the larger VC-25A for a variety of reasons, including flying into smaller airports domestically or when the larger aircraft is not needed.
Less is known of the activities of C-32B, whose existence is not widely promoted by the Air Force. The B models are former commercial Boeing 757 aircraft used for global airlift and government crisis-response needs. The modified aircraft were acquired to support the U.S. State Department's Foreign Emergency Support Team, and have ties to special operations and the U.S. intelligence community.
The C-32 replaced the C-137 Stratoliner, achieving double the range yet able to land on shorter runways than that aircraft. The C-137 was based on the Boeing 707, and had been in service several decades.
The C-32A is the military designation for the Boeing 757-2G4, a variant of the Boeing 757-200 mid-size, narrow-body twin-engine jet airliner. The 757-2G4 has been modified for government VIP transport use, including a change to a 45-passenger interior and military avionics. A contract was awarded in August 1996 for four aircraft, which along with the smaller C-37A and later C-40 Clipper, would replace the aging fleet of VC-137 aircraft. The first plane was delivered to the 89th Airlift Wing at Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland in late June 1998. More aircraft were acquired later.
The C-32As are painted in the blue and white livery, vertical stabilizer flag, and prominent "UNITED STATES OF AMERICA" cheatline markings developed by Raymond Loewy at the behest of President Kennedy for use on Air Force One. The design is shared with most Special Air Mission aircraft. All of the C-32As have Pratt & Whitney PW2000 engines and winglets for added fuel economy.
Throughout the Obama, Trump, and Biden administrations, the interiors of the C-32As were slowly refitted with more luxurious accommodations, at a cost of $16 million per aircraft. Officially, the work was requested by the Air Force, and is being completed by a division of Boeing at Air Force facilities in Oklahoma. The retrofit includes upgraded and refurbished interior elements throughout, new carpets, lighting, leather seats and wood tables in place of cloth and formica, a complete painting and cleaning, and the replacement of the double-seat configuration with a triple-seat configuration, aft of door 3. The refit is controversial, with critics describing the spending as "posh" and "wasteful" and an effort to create "flying palaces," noting that the aircraft are well into the back half of their service lives. The War Zone observed that the spending appears to have little to do with the ability of the aircraft to accomplish its mission, noting that the C-32As have been continuously upgraded with improved communications, avionics, and countermeasures throughout their service lives without criticism.
The C-32As are operated by the 1st Airlift Squadron of the 89th Airlift Wing. They are available for use by the vice-president (using call sign Air Force Two), the first lady, and members of the cabinet and Congress (using SAM callsigns).