Every time the president of China, one of the main economic and military powers of the world, travels abroad in a State visita safety operational complex is activated. From transport to personal protection, everything is designed to minimize any risk and ensure that the diplomatic agenda runs without any setback.
In the most complex trips, China displays a Boeing 747 fleet. According to simple flying, while a plane is reserved for Xi Jinping, another transports its accompaniment personnel and a third is responsible for the load, including the presidential limousine. A logistics scheme reminiscent of the United States uses in this type of displacement.
China and the United States choose Boeing
Boeing is going through difficult times, but that does not prevent him from manufactured some of the most emblematic aircraft in the world. A clear example is the Boeing 747in service since 1970 and still considered a reference in aviation. Both the United States and China have chosen it for the transport of its leaders, being a key piece on international trips.
President Donald Trump has at his disposal two Boeing 747-200B (VC-25), in service since the 1990s. These aircraft have been deeply modified to function as true control centers in the air, with private suites, offices, meeting rooms and advanced communication and defense systems to guarantee VVIP level security.
Xi Jinping travels in a Boeing 747-8, a more modern version than used by the president of the United States. This aircraft was delivered In December 2014but it was not until 2016 when it received its VVIP configuration, with specific modifications for presidential transport. Of course, the information about this point is extremely scarce.
What is known is that, although the logo of Air Chinaits use is reserved exclusively for Xi Jinping and acts as its air operations center. As we indicated above, the Chinese government also asks the state airline to have commercial aircraft for official functions when necessary.
China uses a Boeing 747-8 for the transport of personnel and a Boeing 747-400 load for logistics support. In the latter, the Hongqi N701, Xi Jinping’s armored limousine, considered the Chinese version of the US “The Beast”, which in the case of the US is transferred to a C-17 Globemaster IIIa military load plane built by Boeing.
Although there is no confirmed replacement plan, China could replace its presidential plane of the American Boeing with an alternative of its own manufacturing. The country has already successfully developed the Comc C919, a narrow fuselage plane, and works in the C929, a wide fuselage model that could become a viable candidate.
The United States has been trying to replace its Boeing 747-200B presidential by Boeing 747-8, but the process has been full of delays. In this context, the Boom Supersonic CEO, Blake Scholl, has suggested that the White House leave the 747 and bet on a special version of the Overture, its supersonic development plane.
Imágenes | Hugo LUC | United States Air Force | Asuspine
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