According to a press release sent out by the Defense Department, Boeing will be replacing the refrigeration system aboard Air Force One to the tune of nearly $24 million. However, it’s not an instance of a private company getting a plump government contract, for Air Force One has some serious cooling needs.
According to Fox News, the refrigeration system aboard the president’s plane was last updated in 1990 and goes far beyond what a normal jumbo jet offers:
As the plane itself is a mobile command station for the President, the aircraft must be able to feed passengers and crew for weeks at a time without resupplying in the event of an emergency, storing about 3,000 meals in massive cooling units below the passenger cabin.
An Air Force spokesperson added that while the system is regularly serviced, “reliability has decreased with failures increasing, especially in hot/humid environments.” Yes, Florida may be a factor on that note, but the Air Force added that the costs of design, manufacturing, research, and labor (many of the contractors who work on the project will need security clearances) are built into Boeing’s $24 million figure.
Barring any setbacks, the new system will be installed an operational by October 2019.
(Via Fox News and U.S. Department of Defense)