US Air Force Rolls Out Fresh New Look For Jets Carrying Government VIPs

The planes that ferry around the Vice President, the Secretary of State, and other top government officials are finally starting to get their new look. On February 17, an aviation spotter caught a C-32A, the military version of a Boeing 757, flying out of Greenville, Texas — and it was wearing a brand new red, white, and dark blue paint. Not long after, those photos started circulating on social media. The following day, the Air Force confirmed that this is now the "official paint scheme for Executive Airlift." A spokesperson for the Air Force also confirmed to The War Zone that four C-32s are set to get the treatment during their regularly scheduled maintenance.

The new look features white on top, dark blue on the bottom, with red and gold stripes running along the middle. There's also a waving American flag on the tail now, which replaces that static flag design from before. It's a dramatic departure and replaces a lot of Air Force One's paint scheme history. After all, those C-32s have worn the same light blue and white livery for decades now. It traces all the way back to the Kennedy administration, when First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy worked with the legendary industrial designer Raymond Loewy to create it.

The same look will also appear on the two future VC-25B Air Force One jets and a 747-8i that Qatar gifted to the United States last year. That one is being converted into a temporary Air Force One stand-in expected to fly this summer. Meanwhile, the actual VC-25Bs themselves won't arrive until mid-2028. Those planes have been a headache for Boeing, with the project running more than $2 billion over its original budget.

That said, the new livery itself has some history. It was actually first revealed by President Trump back in 2019 for the next-generation Air Force One. But the Biden administration reversed that call in 2023. Trump apparently couldn't stop thinking about it ever since. He famously displayed a model of that plane in the Oval Office, and now that he's serving his second term, that preference is official again.

It's worth mentioning that the new livery hasn't just shown up on Air Force jets, either. Recently, a Boeing 737 tied to the Department of Homeland Security and a modified Gulfstream G700 flown by the Coast Guard have both been spotted wearing it, too.

Unfortunately, the C-32 fleet itself faces an uncertain future regardless of what colour it's painted. Back in 2004, Boeing discontinued the 757 — one of the most notable airplanes to be discontinued in history — and the type has been steadily disappearing from airline service ever since. That makes spare parts and long-term support increasingly tricky to get. For its part, the Air Force has floated various replacement ideas, including picking up at least one Boeing 737 MAX 9. But as of last year, that proposal still didn't have funding.

More recently, the service has been eyeing used 737-700s, but even those only max out at around 148 passengers in civilian configuration. That's significantly lower compared to the 757's 239. In the meantime, at least the Air Force has been upgrading the existing jets with new interiors, defensive countermeasures, and improved secure communications – so they'll look fresh while the rest of this is figured out.