Boeing's long-delayed effort to deliver two new Air Force One aircraft is facing fresh setbacks, as interior design problems continue to disrupt wiring, structural work and preparations for flight testing, according to a new US government report.
The Pentagon report, released on 3 August 2026, found that the design for the VC-25B cabin remains behind schedule because of unresolved technical and certification issues. VC-25B is the official US Air Force designation for the two heavily modified Boeing 747-8s that are intended to replace the current presidential fleet, which is designated VC-25A.
Prepared as part of the Pentagon's fiscal 2027 budget submission, the report warned that slow progress on the interior is affecting other parts of the modification programme and forcing Boeing to redo work as designs change. “The design maturity for the aircraft interior continues to lag due to numerous technical and certification issues,” the report said.
The scope of the modification is enormous. The two aircraft require a new executive interior, upgraded electrical power, secure communications, military avionics, defensive systems and equipment that would allow the jets to operate with less reliance on ground support. Each of those systems has to be integrated and certified, and delays in one area ripple through the rest of the programme.
According to the report, the interior problems have spread into wiring design and fabrication as well as structural modifications to the two airframes. That has resulted in what the report described as “inefficient engineering work” and repeated changes to sections of the aircraft that Boeing had already begun modifying.
The interior troubles are not new. Boeing lost its original cabin supplier, GDC Technics, after terminating that company's contract in 2021. The work was later moved to another supplier, but the transition itself slowed the design and certification process, contributing to a programme that has repeatedly slipped.
Despite the difficulties, the Air Force is still working toward delivery of the first aircraft in 2028. Whether that target holds will depend heavily on how quickly the cabin design can be matured and certified, a challenge that this latest report suggests is far from resolved.
Sources: AeroTime. Featured image: AI-generated by AviationShop. By James Holloway.
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