In case you didn¡¯t know, our Prime Minister and other high-level dignitaries fly aboard their own aircraft with their own entourage of security personnel, pilots and support staff. That plane if often borrowed from Air India. But soon that will stop.
According to this year's Union Budget, our PM and President will soon be receiving an order of two new aircraft from aeroplane-maker Boeing that are loaded with features similar to what's seen on US Air Force One -- the dedicated plane that carries the US President in the air.
The orders have been placed for Boeing¡¯s 777-300 ER (which stands for extended range). The 777-300 ER is one of Boeing¡¯s most successful line-up of wide-body aircraft designed for long-range flights. Earlier, Prime Minister Modi used to travel in an Air India Boeing 747 -- an iconic aircraft that is often called as the queen of the skies, along with a dated Boeing 737 managed by Alliance Airlines.
Need for new aircraft arose due to non-availability of spares for the old aircraft with heavy costs to maintain their dated equipment. And the new aircrafts will be loaded with the same cool tech that is seen on the US AirForce One that Trump uses to travel the world.
Costing a whopping Rs 8,458 crores, these aircrafts will be flying VVIPs and their safety in the sky is of utmost importance. The 777¡¯s will be equipped with a set of top-of-the-line defence systems -- a Large Aircraft Infrared Countermeasures or LAIRCM as well as Self-Protection Suite or SPS -- developed under the guidance of US Defence Security Cooperation Agency (DCSA).?
LAIRCM comes loaded with a missile warning sensor that will detect if a missile is locked on to the aircraft from afar. It also gets a laser transmitter assembly as well as a control interface unit that can help in tactfully jamming infrared missiles.
The earlier Boeing 747 was identical to the commercial one being used by Air India. However, the 777-300ER is going to be different. Boeing 777-300ER on commercial airliners like Etihad and Emirates are seen to have first-class suites and cabins, and the Indian AirForce One will get a slightly similar treatment. The space that is normally consumed by seats on a commercial aircraft is converted into rooms/VIP enclosures for the dignitaries to relax during the flight.
For communicating with people, the aircraft will be equipped with a conference room, with necessary equipment onboard for conducting the broadcast, including Wi-Fi over an encrypted network.
The aircraft will also get a patient transport unit to provide medical attention to anyone on board, in case such a need arose, with necessary medical equipment to be ready at all times, during emergencies.?
The new Boeing 777-300ER will fly at the hands of trained Indian Air Force pilots that have clocked necessary amounts of hours learning to fly the wide-body aircraft. They are also trained to use onboard emergency technology to keep the VVIPs on board safe and sound.?
Even though the 777-300 ER is slightly smaller than the 747, it is loaded with a ton of new tech to make flying safer and smoother. They¡¯re fitted with new engines developed by GE that are not only faster but also more fuel-efficient, enabling non-stop long-haul flights.?
Moreover, slightly smaller form-factor of the aircraft compared to the 747 will result in the aircraft be approved to land in numerous airports across the world.?