C-32 | |
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![]() A C-32A on final approach | |
General information | |
Type | VIP transport, special operations |
National origin | United States |
Manufacturer | Boeing |
Status | In service |
Primary user | United States Air Force |
Number built | C-32A: 4;[1] C-32B: 2[2] |
History | |
Introduction date | June 1998 |
Developed from | Boeing 757 |
The Boeing C-32 is the United States Air Force designation for variants of the Boeing 757 in military service. Two variants exist, filling different parts of the military passenger transport role. The C-32A serves the Special Air Mission, providing executive transport and broad communications capabilities to senior political officials, while the C-32B Gatekeeper provides clandestine airlift to special operations and global emergency response efforts, a role known as "covered air".[3]
The primary users of the C-32A are the vice president of the United States (using the call sign "Air Force Two" when aboard), the first lady, and the secretary of state. On occasion, other members of the president's Cabinet and members of Congress have flown aboard the C-32A for various missions. The aircraft also occasionally serves as Air Force One in place of the larger VC-25A when the president is traveling to domestic destinations that cannot accommodate the larger Boeing 747-derived presidential plane or if the latter is simply unavailable.[4] The C-32A was used to accommodate President Biden for his transatlantic journey prior to visiting Ukraine in February 2023 to limit suspicions of his presence aboard the plane, a trip which would normally be operated by a VC-25.[5]
Little is known of the activities of the secretive C-32B, whose existence is not widely acknowledged by the Air Force.[6] The modified aircraft were acquired to support the U.S. State Department's Foreign Emergency Support Team, and have ties to special operations, and the U.S. Intelligence Community.
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