Air Force One INDIA

The three BBJs have been specifically ordered to replace the Boeing 737-200s that were acquired in the 1980s for the use of the top dignitaries. Unlike the earlier craft with their limited resources, the BBJs have a range of close to 11,000 km and a maximum speed of 890 kmph. So they will be able to fly to most parts of the world without a refuelling stopover.

This will be a massive change from the current lot of aircraft that fly VVIPs in the country. Both the Embraer executive jets and the Boeing 737s in the IAF’s inventory have a limited flying range and need to make numerous fuel stopovers during long flights. In fact, the Boeing 737s cannot even fly abroad due to outdated avionic systems and the lack of modern navigational aids.

The arrival of the jets will also be a welcome relief for Air India as currently a regular commercial airliner has to be pulled out of service and “retrofitted” for VVIP duty whenever the President and Prime Minister fly abroad on tours.

While the Embraers—five of them were purchased for over Rs 650 crore in 2003—can accommodate close to 20 passengers in a regular seating arrangement, the BBJ will carry more than twice that number in much more luxury.

Once inside, the PM and his entourage will find a full-fledged flying office-cum-residence that can host up to 48 guests besides having a private bedroom for the VVIP, an executive office with Internet availability and secure communication connections.

The 807 sq ft cabin has been customised with a stateroom and a separate meeting room, something that is inconceivable on the much smaller Embraer 135 Legacy jets that are used to transport VVIPs within the country and for short overseas hauls and the older generation Boeing 737-200s that fly dignitaries on the domestic circuit.

While the three jets have already been delivered by Boeing to IAF in an unfurnished condition, the interiors of the aircraft are being customised at the PATS Aircraft completion center in Delaware, USA. “PATS will install an interior that includes a stateroom, meeting room, communications centre and seating for 48 passengers,” a Boeing statement said.

The first of the BBJs, fitted with the highly classified missile avoidance systems and security suite, is currently being flight tested by the IAF in the US. After complete integration of the security package, the BBJ is expected to land at the Palam Airport—home to the IAF’s elite Communications Squadron responsible for air travel by VVIPs—by the the first week of May. The other two jets are expected to arrive later in the year.

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