On Board the 'Bridge' Air Force One

New livery and original Qatari design set jet apart from earlier VC-25As.

Meg Godlewski

Monday, June 22, 2026 at 02:51 PM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Zach Vasile

The new Air Force One, known as the VC-25B Bridge [Credit: U.S. Air Force]

Key Takeaways:

The interim Air Force One, designated VC-25B Bridge (a modified Boeing 747-8 donated by Qatar), has made its public debut.
It features a new dark blue and white livery, a departure from the traditional robin's egg blue, and retains a luxurious interior from its previous use by the Qatari royal family.
While modified for presidential standards, the Air Force acknowledges it may lack some advanced security and mission capabilities of the VC-25As or future models due to minimal changes and time constraints.
This aircraft will serve as Air Force One until two purpose-built VC-25Bs are delivered, with commissioning flights currently underway to validate its capabilities.

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The next aircraft set to serve as Air Force One made its first public appearance on Friday, striking both a visual and symbolic contrast from the time-honored VC-25As that have flown the president since 1990.

The jet, referred to by the military as the VC-25B Bridge, is a modified Boeing 747-8 donated last year by the government of Qatar to President Donald Trump. The Air Force has spent several months and an unclear amount of money modifying it to reach the exacting air safety and security standards of the presidential airlift program.