With the Boeing 747 Jumbo out of production, the United States Air Force has confirmed it will purchase two ex-Lufthansa Boeing 747-8 aircraft. These are to be used as trainers and for spare parts, as the force prepares to bring its VC-25B VIP Air Force One aircraft into service. It may make sense to procure extra aircraft for spares, although it’s unclear if the USAF sees any other potential role for the aircraft.

Lufthansa currently has a total of 27 Boeing 747s in inventory, made up of eight Boeing 747-400s and 19 Boeing 747-8s. The airline will also be divesting two 747-400s in 2026. Lufthansa has been able to successfully operate the 747 partly thanks to operating a significant fleet size and partly thanks to Lufthansa Technik also maintaining many of the world’s other 747s. Here is why the 747-8i is a great option for the US Air Force.

USAF Acquiring Two Ex-Lufthansa 747-8is

The US Air Force confirmed to The War Zone that it plans to acquire two Boeing 747-8is from Lufthansa. Ann Stefanek, an Air Force spokesperson, told The War Zone, « As part of the presidential airlift acceleration efforts, the Air Force is procuring two aircraft to support training and spares for the 747-8 fleet. » The spokesperson noted that the Boeing 747 is no longer in production and the variant is very different from the older Boeing 747-200 that the Air Force currently uses for its « Air Force One » as the VC-25A.

She added it is important for the Air Force to « establish an overall training and sustainment strategy for the future Air Force 747-8i fleet. » It was also reported that the Air Force is procuring these two aircraft for a total of $400 million. The first aircraft is expected to arrive in early 2026, and the second is to follow before the end of that year.

For now, it appears that by around 2029, the US Air Force may have four or five flyable US government executive Boeing 747-8s in inventory. This would represent a significant increase from the two it currently has. It is unclear if these ex-Lufthansa aircraft will eventually be used for parts or if the US Air Force will eventually repurpose them for another role.

The Two Airframes In Question

According to The War Zone, the two airframes in question have the registrations D-ABYD and D-ABYG. D-ABYD (MSN 37829) is now 13.4 years old and is called Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. D-ABYG (MSN 37831) is now 12.9 years old and has the name Baden-Württemberg in Lufthansa service. These are two of Lufthansa’s older Boeing 747-8is, although that is not too significant as all examples in the fleet are aged between 10.8 and 13.9 years old.

Both aircraft are currently active and are frequent visitors to the United States. As of the time of writing, flight records from FlightRadar24 show D-ABYG is currently in Frankfurt and about to take off for its next flight bound for Los Angeles. Its last flight was from Chicago to Frankfurt. Its most recent destinations include New York—Newark, São Paulo, San Francisco, Miami, and Washington-Dulles.

The other aircraft, D-ABYD, is also in Frankfurt and is about to take off for its next flight bound for San Francisco. Recent destinations include Johannesburg, Mexico City, Washington-Dulles, Delhi, and Bengaluru. Much has been written about how much longer the Boeing 747 will remain in regular scheduled commercial passenger service. While Lufthansa is still expected to operate its 747-8is into the 2030s, the sale means Lufthansa’s future fleet will be a somewhat truncated fleet.

No Boeing 747-8 Was Built For The US Air Force

All this means that the US Air Force will have around ten Boeing 747-8is coming its way. Oddly enough, none of these were built by Boeing for the Air Force. All airframes were originally built for other customers. The two Boeing 747-8s that are currently being extensively retrofitted were originally built for Russia’s Transaero, which went bankrupt in 2015. Those two aircraft were not delivered and so can be considered ‘new’. Boeing decided to use them for the VC-25B program after it won the contract in January 2016.

While those two airframes are new, all others the USAF is to take delivery of are second-hand. The Air Force recently received the Qatari Boeing 747-8i business jet to be transformed into an interim Air Force One aircraft for Trump ahead of the VC-25B deliveries. The first VC-25B is now expected in 2028. The US Air Force is also replacing its aging fleet of four Boeing E-4 Advanced Airborne Command Post (AACP) « Nightwatch, » aka Doomsday aircraft.

Sierra Nevada Cooperation (SNC) won the contract to replace the E-4 aircraft after Boeing bailed out. SNC has purchased five ex-Korean Air Boeing 747-8i aircraft for conversion to the E-4C Survivable Airborne Operations Center (SAOC). It’s possible one has been purchased as a spare. It’s not clear if SNC will deliver four or five Doomsday aircraft.

The Boeing 747-8 Is A Versatile Platform

The Boeing 747-8 was the final variant of the Jumbo, and Boeing delivered a total of 155 Boeing 747-8s. The aircraft proved popular as a freighter, but unpopular as a commercial passenger airliner. Boeing and Airbus (with its A380) soon found out the hard way that the industry had soured on extra-large double-decked, quad-engined airliners. But whereas the A380 is a one-trick pony as a commercial passenger transport, and nothing else, the 747 has long been versatile.

Boeing delivered a total of 48 passenger Boeing 747-8is and 107 Boeing 747-8F freighters. Of these 747-8i passenger variants, eight were delivered as business jets to VIP customers, two went to unidentified customers, and the Air Force scooped up the two Transaero jets. Only three airlines ordered the 747-8i as a passenger aircraft: Lufthansa (19), Korean Air (10), and Air China (7).

Lufthansa actually acquired 20, but Boeing asked to keep one for testing, and Lufthansa agreed. The aircraft then sat in the desert practically unused until Egypt purchased it as a Presidential VIP transport. It was finally delivered to Egypt in December 2025. The seven 747-8i Air China operates includes two used for VIP Governmental transport; the other five are commercial passenger transports.

The Many Roles The 747 Boasts

Counting all five of the ex-Korean Air Boeing 747-8is SNC has acquired means the US Air Force will have 10 of the 48 747-8is produced, or about 21%. That’s not a bad effort given that Boeing didn’t actually produce any 747-8s for the Air Force. This already means that the US Air Force will eventually be the second or third-largest operator of the type.

As time goes on, the limited fleet of 747-8is will be withdrawn from commercial passenger service. At the same time, because the aircraft is no longer in production, they are valued for conversion into special mission aircraft. Time will tell if, as the 747-8i ages out of commercial service, they are converted to freighters, as would typically happen, or if they will be scooped up by the USAF or other organizations as special mission aircraft.

The US Air Force has previously found other roles for the 747. Most famously, two were converted into Space Shuttle Carriers. The Air Force also converted one into the Boeing YAL-1 airborne laser testbed. Elsewhere, Boeing converted four into the outsized cargo Boeing Dreamlifters. Three were even converted to the 747 Supertanker, an aerial firefighter airtanker. Iran had one 747 modified as an aerial refueling tanker. Israel destroyed that aircraft during Operation Rising Lion in April 2025.

Boeing 747-8: The Aircraft Suited To USAF Needs

The Air Force may not initially have been a customer for the Boeing 747-8, but it is emerging as a significant latecomer to the program. The Air Force has a long history of operating the Boeing 747. Not only does it want to replace the aging Boeing 747-200s it has in service, but it is also growing its fleet. Apparently, the aircraft being out of production is not a hindrance.

The Boeing 747-8 is close to perfect for the US Air Force’s needs for a range of reasons. One is that with over 100 freighters in service around the world, there will be a commercial sector providing the spare parts needed to maintain these jets past 2060. Another reason why the aircraft is well-suited is that it is an « American » aircraft. The US is using them as a high-profile symbol of the nation flying the president; it is unlikely it would be politically feasible to operate an A380 in that role, even if it were suited to the task.

Another factor is that the Jumbo has the size and flexibility needed for the missions the Air Force has for it. Separately, Northrop Grumman’s subsidiary, Scaled Composites, acquired two ex-United Airlines Boeing 747-400s. It then stripped them down and used their engines, landing gear, and other systems to build the massive Model 351 Stratolaunch (called « Roc »).