India has received its much awaited new generation of VVIP aircrafts at the Delhi International Airport today. The VVIP aircrafts are Boeing 777-300 ER duo which will be used by the Prime Minister and President of India on their official tour to international countries and has arrived from Boeing’s facility in the US. The Boeing 777 will replace the ageing Boeing 747 currently in service.
A couple of months back, photographer Andy Egloff managed to click the first known photo of one of the VVIP Boeing 777-300 ER plane. As seen in the photograph, the plane gets a completely new livery, unlike the one we have seen in the current generation of planes. The two VVIP planes with advanced protection suite will be sourced from U.S. based Boeing aircrafts for Rs 1200 crore.
#WATCH: VVIP aircraft Air India One that will be used for President, Vice President & PM arrives at Delhi International Airport from US.It is equipped with advance communication system which allows availing audio & video communication function at mid-air without being hacked. pic.twitter.com/4MtXHi8F9O
— ANI (@ANI) October 1, 2020
The plane gets a completely white body with the Indian flag running through the lower body. There’s India and Bharat (in hindi) written to represent the country along with a Indian flag on the tail. The current Boeing 747 being used by PM gets the regular Air India livery.
The two VVIP planes will be used to ferry the President and the Prime Minister of the country. The new planes, for the first time, will get self-protection suites for the aircraft in the form of infrared and electronic warfare countermeasures suites, countermeasure dispensing systems and missile warning sensors.
The two planes will be put out on the field this year. The Indian Air Force has made several visits to the Boeing facility where they frequently contributed with the progress and development of the aircraft. Additionally, as the aircraft now comes with new sophisticated equipment and is owned by the Indian Air Force, it will have military classification.
PM Modi currently flies in the IAF plane for domestic travel and Air India’s Boeing 747 for international travel. A team of 40 Air India pilots are being trained alongside IAF Pilots to fly the state-of-the-art VVIP planes.
Once in use, it is being reported that the new 777 will be as advanced as the Air Force One Boeing 747 of the US President, often called the White House in Sky.
Pic Credit: Andy Egloff
Comments
0 comment