{"id":12547,"date":"2026-04-12T06:45:00","date_gmt":"2026-04-12T13:45:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.runwayritz.com\/index.php\/2026\/04\/12\/the-us-air-force-is-buying-used-jumbo-jets-and-its-not-hard-to-see-why\/"},"modified":"2026-04-12T17:36:59","modified_gmt":"2026-04-13T00:36:59","slug":"the-us-air-force-is-buying-used-jumbo-jets-and-its-not-hard-to-see-why","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.runwayritz.com\/index.php\/2026\/04\/12\/the-us-air-force-is-buying-used-jumbo-jets-and-its-not-hard-to-see-why\/","title":{"rendered":"The US Air Force Is Buying Used Jumbo Jets, And It’s Not Hard To See Why"},"content":{"rendered":"


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\n <\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n Kielaitis \/ Shutterstock<\/span>\n <\/div>\n
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If you thought the US Air Force had enough planes to ensure it never entered the used aircraft market, then think again. It turns out that the USAF is buying Boeing 747s from German airline Lufthansa. However, this is not the Air Force “spreading its wings” and opening a transatlantic air route; the reason for the purchase is to help the USAF make the long-delayed transition to a new presidential aircraft. <\/p>\n

The official replacement aircraft is the VC-25B, but for all intents and purposes, these are modified Boeing 747-8 aircraft, and are now expected to enter service in mid-2028. The current aircraft that fills the role is the Boeing VC-25A. These have been in service since 1990, and are based on the very old Boeing 747-200.<\/p>\n

Therein lies the problem. The new jet introduces different systems, more advanced avionics, improved engines, and different maintenance requirements. What this means is that it makes no sense to arrive at Edwards Air Force Base with a brand new aircraft, present it to the crew and maintenance teams, and say, “Sign here and it’s all yours.” <\/p>\n

All these groups need training in advance, and this is tricky because all this training has to be done in an inactive aircraft. Looking ahead, there is also the matter of spare parts to consider. This is where Lufthansa and its fleet of 747-8s come into play. Let’s take a closer look at why the USAF is purchasing large commercial aircraft from the German flag carrier. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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Why these flights are important<\/h2>\n
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There was a time when the Boeing 747 was the backbone of long-haul aviation. However, those glory days are long gone. The last 747s rolled off the production line in December 2022, and, as of 2025, there were only 39 active passenger 747s still in service. For the USAF, this is more than a history lesson – it’s a headache. <\/p>\n

In fact, the Air Force’s new presidential jet is a discontinued model, and passenger operators around the world are falling like hotcakes. This is ultimately why the USAF decided to shell out $400 million for two passenger 747-8s from Lufthansa. As an interesting side note, the first 747-8 airframes purchased for the VC-25Bs were originally intended for the Russian airline but were never delivered. <\/p>\n

According to the USAF announcement, the purchase of two aircraft is essential to maintain the future strength of the aircraft. As reported in Air & Space Forces Magazine, the USAF has clarified the reason for the purchase – saying, “Since the 747-8i is no longer in active production, and is a very different aircraft than the 747-200, it is important for the Air Force to develop an overall training and sustainability strategy for the future.” <\/p>\n

It’s an unusual situation, that as Boeing continues to work on the sixth-generation F-47 fighter jet, the Air Force is buying older planes to ensure that the still-to-be-delivered project has a future. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n


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Kielaitis \/ Shutterstock If you thought the US Air Force had enough planes to ensure it never entered the used aircraft market, then think again. It turns out that the USAF is buying Boeing 747s from German airline Lufthansa. However, this is not the Air Force “spreading […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":12548,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-12547","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-smartphones-tablets"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.runwayritz.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12547","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.runwayritz.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.runwayritz.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.runwayritz.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.runwayritz.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12547"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.runwayritz.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12547\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12549,"href":"https:\/\/www.runwayritz.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12547\/revisions\/12549"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.runwayritz.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12548"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.runwayritz.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12547"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.runwayritz.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12547"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.runwayritz.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12547"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}