The Pentagon is looking into the case of some Boeing employees working on the current and upcoming Air Force One aircraft without updated security credentials.
According to a report by the Wall Street Journal (WSJ), Boeing and officials within the Pentagon are looking to determine how long employees of the manufacturer have worked with the current and future Air Force One aircraft with expired security credentials. The WSJ, citing a source familiar with the matter, reported that around 250 of Boeing’s employees are involved in the probe, with security credentials that had expired by months or even years – in the most extreme case, seven years ago.
Boeing, which is currently developing the new Air Force One, the VC-25B, also built and delivered VC-25A, a converted Boeing 747-200 to the United States Air Force (USAF). The VC-25B will be a converted Boeing 747-8I, the latest and last iteration of the iconic hump-deck aircraft that made its commercial debut with Pan American World Airways (Pan Am) in January 1970.
Since production began in 2008, the aircraft manufacturer has delivered a total of 48 Boeing 747-8Is, the passenger version of the aircraft. The two future VC-25As were initially destined for Transaero, a Russia-based airline, which went bankrupt before Boeing could deliver them.
In early March 2023, current United States (US) President Joe Biden approved a new livery for Air Force One, replacing Donald Trump’s proposed paint scheme.
The USAF expects Boeing to deliver the first VC-25B in 2027, followed by the delivery of the second in 2028.