{"id":41108,"date":"2020-04-16T18:38:49","date_gmt":"2020-04-16T18:38:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2020\/04\/16\/a-key-milestone-of-the-air-force-one-replacement-program-was-conducted-using-virtual-tools-it-wont-be-the-last\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T23:08:15","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T23:08:15","slug":"a-key-milestone-of-the-air-force-one-replacement-program-was-conducted-using-virtual-tools-it-wont-be-the-last","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/air\/2020\/04\/16\/a-key-milestone-of-the-air-force-one-replacement-program-was-conducted-using-virtual-tools-it-wont-be-the-last\/","title":{"rendered":"A key milestone of the Air Force One replacement program was conducted using virtual tools. It won\u2019t be the last."},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">WASHINGTON \u2014 The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/air\/2018\/07\/18\/boeing-gets-air-force-one-contract-and-next-gen-air-force-ones-to-get-a-new-paint-job\/\" target=\"_blank\">Air Force One replacement program<\/a> has hit a major development milestone, and it did so without the in-person meetings that have become more risky in the age of the novel coronavirus, the U.S. Air Force\u2019s top acquisition official said on Thursday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Air Force recently completed the critical design review for the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/air\/2018\/02\/27\/trump-boeing-reach-handshake-agreement-to-cap-air-force-one-program-at-39b\/\" target=\"_blank\">Presidential Aircraft Replacement program<\/a>, which will replace the legacy VC-25A Air Force One planes with a new variant of the Boeing 747-8 known as the VC-25B.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Although the classified portions of the review still must be done via face-to-face meetings in secure spaces, much of it was accomplished using virtual tools and applications, said Will Roper, assistant secretary of the Air Force for acquisition, technology and logistics.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/2017\/08\/25\/a-contracting-official-grew-a-beard-to-help-get-an-air-force-one-deal-seriously\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"294\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/20170804_134314.jpg.jpg?w=294\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">A contracting official grew a beard to help get an Air Force One deal. Seriously.<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">A contract officer decided to grow out his facial hair until his seven-person team reached a deal with Boeing on the 747s that will become new Air Force Ones.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI was really excited that the team was able to shift their CDR [critical design review] and go virtual,\u201d he told reporters in an April 16 teleconference, adding that more programs will shift toward using virtual meetings to conduct key reviews and milestones even after the COVID-19 pandemic subsides.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI don\u2019t know if it makes any sense to do CDRs, at least at an unclassified level, outside of tools like this. And we\u2019re working really hard to provide the same capabilities at the secret level,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While Roper did not detail which communication tools were used by the program office to conduct the CDR, he described it as being very similar to widely used applications like Zoom, where the briefer can share PowerPoint slides and participants can share thoughts and questions via a written chat function.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt allows a greater level of productivity than a meeting itself,\u201d he said. \u201cIn meetings, you have someone speaking and you want to get a question in, but you\u2019ve got to wait for them to stop, and then everyone else wants to ask a question. It\u2019s hugely inefficient. It\u2019s just such an antiquated way of sharing information that is ingrained in us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Air Force One replacement drew considerable attention in 2016 after then-President-elect Donald Trump <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/air\/2016\/12\/06\/trump-tweets-us-should-cancel-air-force-one-replacement\/\" target=_blank>tweeted that the program was too expensive<\/a> at more than $4 billion and should be canceled. After Trump held numerous meetings with Dennis Muilenburg, who led Boeing at the time, the Air Force awarded Boeing a $3.9 billion contract <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/digital-show-dailies\/air-warfare-symposium\/2017\/03\/02\/air-force-downplays-requirements-changes-to-air-force-one-replacement\/\" target=_blank>to modify two 747s into VC-25B jets.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">However, once all costs are included \u2014 such as buying a new hangar for the aircraft and the base cost of the 747s themselves \u2014 the Air Force will pay $5.3 billion, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defenseone.com\/business\/2020\/04\/owners-manual-trumps-new-air-force-one-cost-84-million\/164651\/\" target=_blank>according to Defense One<\/a>. That expense includes an $84 million contract awarded to Boeing on Wednesday to modify Boeing 747 technical specifications and manuals to the VC-25B configuration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Roper doesn\u2019t project any schedule delays to the program as a result of COVID-19, which has pummeled prime contractor Boeing\u2019s commercial business and caused a temporary pause to certain defense production lines.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/industry\/2020\/04\/13\/boeing-to-reopen-the-kc-46-and-p-8-production-lines\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/3063033.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Boeing to reopen the KC-46 and P-8 production lines<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">Production of the KC-46 tanker and P-8 maritime surveillance plane was suspended for a little over two weeks.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In February, Boeing began modifying the two 747s slated to become VC-25Bs at its facility in San Antonio, Texas. During the first part of the process, Boeing will cut out large pieces of the aircraft\u2019s skin and structure and replace that with two specially designed \u201csuperpanels,\u201d according to an Air Force release. The VC-25Bs will also receive upgrades including enhanced electrical power, specialized communication systems, a medical facility, a customized executive interior and autonomous ground operations capabilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The new Air Force Ones are expected to be operational in 2024.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Despite COVID-19, the program is sticking on track.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":83072,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":7,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":{"4":{"categories":["your-air-force","news","home","daily-news-roundup","newsletters"],"primary_category":"your-air-force"}}},"categories":[7,160,12,36],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3384],"class_list":["post-41108","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-air","category-daily-news-roundup","category-industry","category-newsletters"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"XGL4EN6C25EHXOZQOUMCATJMAA","arc_canonical_url":"\/air\/2020\/04\/16\/a-key-milestone-of-the-air-force-one-replacement-program-was-conducted-using-virtual-tools-it-wont-be-the-last\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>A key milestone of the Air Force One replacement program was conducted using virtual tools. 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