Unsurprisingly, Air Force One planes have as many bells and whistles as you can imagine. From serving as a de-facto bunker during a potential nuclear attack to flying well above where a commercial airliner can go, there are a lot of fascinating things to know about Air Force One.
Although many different types of planes have been used as Air Force One, the current planes in opperation are both Boeing 747-200 aircraft. It has four engines and is a successor to the Boeing 707, which President Dwight Eisenhower added to the fleet in ’58. Eisenhower also flew in Lockheed C-121 Super Constellations.
The president doesn’t always fly on airplanes. Sometimes, he takes a helicopter. Marine One is the radio call sign for a Marine Corps helicopter transporting the president. Lockheed is building six new helicopters for Marine One, and the first is expected to enter service in 2020, according to CNBC. Helicopters in the Marine One fleet are equipped with ballistic armor and antimissile defenses, and the pilots who fly them, from Marine Helicopter Squadron One, are known as the Nighthawks.