Lockheed Air

Does AIR FORCE ONE really have an ESCAPE POD?

If you saw Harrison Ford's AIR FORCE ONE, you'd have noticed that in the movie AFO had an escape capsule similar to the one used for manned rockets.

President Clinton saw the movie and insisted afterwards that AFO had no Escape Pod.

Now here's my problem.

Considering how many drills and war games focus around getting the President out of danger, securing the nuclear football and getting the senior staff to safety in the case of a suprise attack, I find it difficult (if not impossible) to believe AFO has no Escape Pod.

I would consider it poor planning by the government in fact to not have a way of getting the President off of a jumbo jet in the event of a surface-to-air assault or jet fighters attacking from a rogue nation.

Furthermore, if I was President of the USA and I had the ability to make EXECUTIVE DECISIONS there is no way in hell I would fly in a plane without an escape pod. I'd simply force Lockheed to build one.

VC-25A is a Highly Modified Boeing 747. The decsion to change to a 747 from the Older 707 of previous Adminastrations was made by the United States Air Force, the White House only Advised. The Air Force had decided that due to that age and high levels of required maintance on the 707's that a new aircraft was Requied both as a Presidental Transport and the Airbourne Emergency Command Post. The Boeing 747 was choosen due to it's Size, Long Range, Safety Record, Ease of Maintance, the number of Fields it could use, and Flight Record. Both Aircraft were Assembled at the Boeing Plant in Renton Washington, then flown to the Boeing Modifaction Center in Wichita KS for the required Mods. Both VC-25A's and the E-4's know as "Nightwatch" has since returned to Wichita mutiple times for futher Modification to upgrade the Aircraft as Technology advances.

Lockheed has had nothing to do with the Airframe other then some of the electronics on board.

In case of a SAM attack the A/C is equipped with the top of the line, State of the art, and even EXPERIMENTAL Electronic Counter Measures, as well as Flare and Chaff Systems.
The Aircraft is Covered by USAF Fighters, whose Rules of Engagement are rather Clear. ANY Aircraft that Approaches AF-1 without Clearance, and will NOT change course, is to be shot down. PERIOD, DOT, END OF SENTENCE

Most of what you saw in the Movie Air Force One, well we who worked the Aircraft LAUGH at. As we do MOST movies that invole Aircraft.
There is no Escape Pod.
The is no Rear Cargo Door.
Don't believe everything you see in the Movies, TV or Video Games.

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