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Recently, when traveling east to Vietnam, Air Force One stopped in Qatar for gas, but only did so after gassing up in the United Kingdom first. This brings into question how a direct flight to Afghanistan is possible?

Even the most direct route from the UK to Vietnam is substantially shorter than the distance from Washington D.C. to Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan. And in the case of the Vietnam trip, a similar route over the Caspian Sea wasn't taken, one through the Middle East was instead, which is substantially longer.

I have never heard that aerial refueling was part of Air Force One missions to the war-torn country, but it may be a detail the Air Force doesn't see a reason to delve into deeply. As for future missions, from what we have gleaned, the future Air Force One aircraft, the VC-25B based on the 747-8i, will actually have less range than the VC-25As that currently execute most of the Presidential airlift missions. This is counter-intuitive because the 747-8i is capable of greater range than its 747-200 forebearer, but if the official information is indeed accurate, modifications to the 747-8i airframe will substantially offset its enhanced long-range capabilities, dropping the design requirements from 7,100 miles to 5,800 milesboth of which are already less than the current VC-25A's stated and demonstrated range. And of course, it is worth noting the aerial refueling capability has been eliminated from the VC-25B requirements entirely.

So, there you have it, another cloak and dagger Presidential airlift operation is in the books. It won't be long until an entirely new pair of jets take over these historic operations, but a C-17 with some blue first-class seats bolted onto her cargo floor will remain timeless, at least for the foreseeable future.

Contact the author: Tyler@thedrive.com

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What Aircraft Snuck Trump Out Of Florida On His Way To Afghanistan For Thanksgiving? - The Drive