Donald Trump's desire to drive down the cost of a new fleet of Air Force One jets could have unexpected consequences: the replacement aircraft may have once been destined for a Russian airline.
According to reports, the US Air Force have been looking for a cheaper option after Trump complained that costs had got "out of control".
A source told AFP they are now close a deal to buy two Boeing 747s originally ordered by Transaero Airlines, says The Guardian.
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Defense One reports the planes were abandoned by the Russian airline when it went bankrupt in 2015 and are sitting in the Mojave Desert in southern California. A final deal could be announced by the Pentagon this week.
The average price of the Boeing 747-8 on which the US Air Force will base the presidential plane is $386.8m (£292.3m). It is not known how much the Russian cast-offs would cost.
To prepare the aircraft for Trump and his successors, engineers will add "state-of-the-art communications system, defensive countermeasures and hardening to withstand an electromagnetic pulse caused by a nuclear explosion", Defense One says.
According to The Hill, officials plan to spend $3.2bn (£2.4bn) on the makeover.
The current Air Force One jets have served presidents since George HW Bush in 1990. However, if Trump wishes to fly in the new fleet, he will have to win a second term - the aircraft aren't due to enter service until 2022.
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