Vehicles Used by US Presidents: Air Force One, Marine One, the Beast

Air Force One is the call sign given to any Air Force plane carrying a US president.

The first plane built specifically for use by the US president was the “Sacred Cow,” a Douglas VC-54C Skymaster used by President Franklin D. Roosevelt beginning in 1944. Since then, presidential aircraft have evolved with state-of-the-art technology to function as a “flying White House” with all the capabilities of the Oval Office and the Situation Room.

Trump’s Air Force One jet, a VC-25A, measures 231 feet long and features 4,000 square feet of offices, rest areas, an executive stateroom with a full bathroom and dressing room, and a conference room. It can hold 30 crew members and 71 passengers.

At 155 feet long, the C-32 is smaller than the VC-25A with room for 16 crew members and 45 passengers.

It usually functions as the vice president’s plane, but the president uses it to fly into and out of smaller airports that aren’t built to support the massive primary Air Force One aircraft.

With Boeing running years behind schedule on delivering new 747-8 Air Force One planes, President Donald Trump looked elsewhere in his efforts to upgrade the presidential fleet.

In May, he accepted a 747-8 that had been a private business jet donated by the Qatari royal family, saying he’d be “stupid” to turn down the gift.

The luxurious jet features spacious interiors with lounges, offices, dining areas, and bedrooms with en-suite bathrooms.

In the event of a national emergency like a nuclear attack, the E-4B can protect the president and other senior officials and serve as the US military’s command and control center.

A militarized version of a Boeing 747-200, the “doomsday plane” can refuel mid-flight to stay airborne for days at a time. It features thermal and nuclear shielding and more communication capabilities than regular Air Force One planes.

Like Air Force One, any Marine Corps aircraft with the president on board uses the call sign Marine One.

Helicopter models used as Marine One include the VH-60N White Hawk, which can fit 11 passengers, and the Sikorsky VH-3D Sea King, which can fit 14.

The president often flies shorter distances in Marine One to places like Joint Base Andrews and Camp David as a faster alternative to the presidential motorcade.

The helicopter’s interior space is soundproofed to allow the president and staff to speak at a normal volume.

The Sikorsky VH-92A had previously debuted in 2021, but was taken out of service because it kept scorching the White House lawn.

The VH-92A was intended to replace the fleet of VH-60N and VH-3D Marine One helicopters by 2023, but the project has been delayed until 2030, The War Zone reported.

At 69 feet long, it can hold four crew members and 14 passengers.

Weighing 20,000 pounds, The Beast is designed to look like a Cadillac XT6 with the chassis of a Chevrolet Kodiak.

It is bulletproof, sealed against biochemical attacks, and stocked with a refrigerator containing the president’s blood type.

It travels with the US president domestically and abroad, and can seat up to seven people.

The presidential golf cart appears to be a Polaris Ranger XP utility task vehicle, or UTV. It was first spotted in July as part of Trump’s entourage while golfing at his Trump Turnberry golf resort in Scotland.

“The US Secret Service employs a variety of tools and resources to safeguard our protectees,” a Secret Service spokesperson told Business Insider in July. “This vehicle is part of our presidential fleet of specialty vehicles. In order to maintain operational security, the Secret Service does not discuss the specific means and methods used to conduct our protective operations.”