GAO: Boeing Reduced Technical Hurdles on Air Force One Replacement Program
Congressional auditors found measurable technical progress on a contract that has already run years behind schedule, though delivery timelines and remaining cost figures are not yet publicly resolved.
Boeing Co. has made progress addressing some of the technical challenges that have delayed delivery of two VC-25B aircraft intended to replace the current Air Force One fleet, according to a Government Accountability Office review cited by Bloomberg on July 2, 2026. The GAO, which serves as the investigative arm of Congress under 31 U.S.C. § 717, conducted the assessment as part of its ongoing oversight of major defense acquisition programs.
The Air Force One replacement contract, formally designated as the VC-25B Presidential Aircraft Recapitalization program, was awarded to Boeing in 2018 for a fixed price of approximately $3.9 billion, according to Department of Defense contract announcement records. Fixed-price contracts shift cost overrun risk to the contractor; Boeing has previously disclosed in Securities and Exchange Commission filings that it recorded charges against the program totaling roughly $2 billion through 2023 due to engineering and supply chain complications.
The GAO's finding that Boeing reduced 'some' technical challenges does not specify which subsystems or modification work areas saw improvement, nor does it provide a revised delivery date, according to the Bloomberg report. The original contract called for delivery of both aircraft by 2024. As of the most recent publicly available DoD Selected Acquisition Report, delivery remained deferred, though the current projected delivery window is not fully disclosed in open-source budget documents.
Congressional oversight of the program falls primarily under the Senate and House Armed Services Committees. Hearing records from the 119th Congress available through Congress.gov do not yet reflect a scheduled public session specifically addressing the updated GAO findings. The Air Force has not issued a public statement in response to the GAO review as of July 2, 2026.
What remains unknown includes the specific technical milestones Boeing still must complete, the current projected total cost to Boeing and the government, and whether any contract modifications have been executed since 2023. The full GAO report, once publicly released through gao.gov, and Boeing's next quarterly SEC filing would be the primary documents to resolve those questions.