how many air force ones are there
There are two dedicated “Air Force One” aircraft currently in the U.S. presidential fleet, though the call sign “Air Force One” can technically apply to any U.S. Air Force plane carrying the president.
What “Air Force One” really means
- Call‑sign rule : Any U.S. Air Force aircraft with the president on board becomes “Air Force One” on the radio, so the number of planes that can be Air Force One in a given year is much larger than two.
- Primary fleet : The two main presidential jets are Boeing 747‑200B models with tail numbers 28000 and 29000 , designated VC‑25A by the Air Force.
Current and upcoming fleet
Status| Aircraft type| Designation| Role
---|---|---|---
In service| Boeing 747‑200B| VC‑25A (2 planes)| Current Air Force One fleet
359
Future replacement| Boeing 747‑8| VC‑25B (2 ordered)| Next‑gen Air Force One,
expected by or after 2026 51
Why people say “there are two”
- The Air Force maintains two identical VC‑25A 747s so one can always be ready as a backup, which is why most sources say there are two Air Force One planes in the core fleet.
- Beyond those two, other Air Force transports (like C‑32s and C‑17s) can carry the president and temporarily use the “Air Force One” call sign, but they are not counted as part of the official Air Force One fleet.
Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.