After it completed a secretive nighttime flight to Joint Base Andrews earlier in June, the VC-25B Bridge aircraft – a rapidly converted 747-8 gifted by Qatar – has now been officially shown off by the U.S. Air Force in its service paint scheme for the very first time.
The VC-25B will now begin a series of certification flights ahead of its official entry into service with the 89th Airlift Wing’s Presidential Airlift Group.
In their official press release, the U.S. Air Force confirmed that the aircraft’s comparatively rapid (compared to the two fully-fledged VC-25Bs being converted by Boeing) conversion process was aided by keeping the interior ‘minimally changed’. As a former VIP jet operated by the state of Qatar, the aircraft’s interior already features many luxury accommodations for passengers – in fact, even moreso than the VC-25A, which leans further towards function than absolute luxury.
Rumors have circulated that the VC-25B Bridge’s first Presidential flight could be the planned trip to Mount Rushmore as part of the U.S. 250th Anniversary celebrations.
Speaking at the aircraft’s unveiling, President Trump confirmed plans to include the jet in the 4th July flyover of Washington D.C., alongside F-22 Raptors, F-35 Lightning IIs, and other military aircraft.
"This will be a flyover on July 4th I think I can say the likes of which we've never seen before."
President Trump says America's 250th anniversary celebration on July 4th will feature a massive military flyover over the U.S. Capitol and White House, led by the newly refurbished… pic.twitter.com/fT5zyipfW7
— Fox News (@FoxNews) June 19, 2026
.@POTUS signs the mechanical panel of the new Air Force One 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/ERMnXG1WHH
— Margo Martin (@MargoMartin47) June 19, 2026
“We are proud to deliver the VC-25B Bridge aircraft to the President,” said Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Ken Wilsbach. “Many thought it could not be done, but the United States Air Force was able to execute and provide a secure, reliable airborne command post on an accelerated timeline.”
The service confirms that the jet has been fitted with at least a certain level of advanced communications and self-defence capabilities, though if these are sufficient to allow the aircraft to be used for overseas travel remains to be seen.
The VC-25B Bridge aircraft has officially arrived at Joint Base Andrews!
More info: https://t.co/xhurcI0mjL pic.twitter.com/zyUpB99jqm
— U.S. Air Force (@usairforce) June 19, 2026
“The safety and security of the commander in chief is our highest priority,” said Secretary of the Air Force Troy Meink. “From the beginning, we meticulously evaluated every requirement to accelerate delivery while maintaining the high standards expected of the presidential mission. This effort proves that the U.S. Air Force can move fast without sacrificing quality, security, or reliability.”
Our first official view of the full painted VC-25B Bridge aircraft comes soon after what seems to have been final planned Presidential sortie of 92-9000, one of the U.S. Air Force’s two VC-25As. White House staffers led tributes to the aircraft on social media after it flew President Donald Trump home from the G7 Summit in France.
While the U.S. Air Force has said the VC-25A type will remain in service for the foreseeable future to support Presidential Airlift Group and other VIP operations, these tributes likely indicate that the primary VC-25A will soon be 82-8000 – returning to service shortly after an overhaul and upgrade period – with 92-9000 moved to a backup role.
As we have known for some time, the aircraft wears a controversial new paint scheme. It is a modified version of the one chosen by President Trump for the VC-25B in his first term. This decision was reversed by the Biden administration in favor of an updated variant of the iconic light blue and white livery worn by the current VC-25As, then reversed again by the current Trump administration.
The first look at the new Air Force One VC-25B aircraft at Joint Base Andrews.
📹: reaganreese pic.twitter.com/u6gMsvE2Tc
— Turbine Traveller (@Turbinetraveler) June 19, 2026
The serial for the VC-25B Bridge in U.S. Air Force service will be 25-3300. It originally carried the Qatari registrations A7-HJA, then A7-HJB. After the Qatar Amiri Flight put the jet into storage, it was re-registered as P4-HBJ. Then, after being transferred to the U.S. it was given the U.S. civilian registration N7478D.
P4-HBJ Boeing 747-8, the “gift” plane from Qatar, arriving at Fort Worth Alliance (KAFW) from San Antonio International Airport (KSAT).#4850B4 #P4HBJ pic.twitter.com/1HgejAgisX
— Sam Combs (@pressxtolive) June 30, 2025
U.S. Air Force crews have trained on the 747-8 type, which is the base airframe for the VC-25B, VC-25B Bridge, and the E-4C, by using a combination of a leased Atlas Air 747-8F and then surplus 747-8i passenger variants purchased from Lufthansa (one of which can be seen under the VC-25B Bridge’s nose in the header image). A full mockup of the VC-25B Bridge aircraft’s interior has been made available to the White House for familiarisation since January 2026.
