>>1847121I get the point with the VC-25As but with the E-4 I still don't get it. According to the original mission, it was meant to be a command post for nuclear strikes. The issue is the engines. They can get spares anywhere, but they are 1970s vintage, Idk the model of CF6 turbofan they use, but they predate the engines on the VC-25A by about 15 or so years?
That is really pushing it. I know that they wont operate them in the same way as you would a commercial airliner, but for Pete Sake, there are much more reliable engines out there.
But Hey they still operate B-52's don't they, so I guess their definition of 'old' might be outdated.
I still think a 1 to1 replacement with a -8 frame for the E-4 makes sense, mostly because I've not heard anything about it. It just makes sense to me, because both the E-4 and VC-25A are actually the same base airframe. This time around if they went for such a solution, it would result in a much bigger common spares pool for both types under one roof including and especially engine parts and spare engines.
I just don't understand why nobody has made any such proposal to the Air Force.
