king1983

Indian prime minister Narendra Modi and other VVIPs will soon take delivery of two Boeing planes fitted with state-of-the-art missile defence systems, though coronavirus means they will have to wait a little longer for them.

Custom Boeing 777s for VVIPs won’t be delivered in July as expected

The Indian government is waiting to receive two specially modified Boeing 777-300ER planes, previously in service with Air India, for the exclusive use of prime minister Narendra Modi and other top dignitaries.

The original plan was for the planes to be delivered in July, though the Economic Times now reports this has been delayed by a couple of months.

"There has been some delay, primarily because of COVID-19. The two planes are likely to be delivered by September," officials told the newspaper.

Once in service, the two jets will be operated by pilots from the Indian Air Force, and not Air India - though they will be maintained by Air India Engineering Services Limited, a subsidiary of the national flag carrier.

At the moment, Mr Modi and other top brass fly on Boeing 747 aircraft owned by Air India, (which are otherwise used for regular passenger flights) with the call sign ‘Air India One’. Photo credit: UK FCO/ Flickr:




All the bells and whistles

The refitted Boeing 777 planes will be equipped with state-of-the-art missile defence systems called Large Aircraft Infrared Countermeasures (LAIRCM) and Self-Protection Suites (SPS).

The systems were sold by the US at a cost of USD 190m. On board technology is said to include systems to jam enemy radar frequencies and divert heat-seeking missiles. Just like Air Force One, the new planes will have an unlimited range and are capable of flying around the world in one go.




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Source: my blog, Take Off With Guru

Keyser

too much extravagance that is not needed at the moment....neither now, nor in september when the plane will be delivered....

678flyer

This is sunk cost, might as well get it done. Still far better than spending obscene amounts on statues.

oliver2002

Well, the B747 fleet they are using right now to ferry the PM and President to state visits are getting old and long in the teeth. Having a B777 replacement will be actually a cost saver because of the common crew and spares with the existing AI B77W and B77L fleet. The B747 crew does nothing when there is no state duty, except for the occasional Haj rotation.

oliver2002

The ET article on the B744 retiring mentions that Modi's AF1 was delivered last year?

https://economictimes.indiatimes.com...w/81405753.cms

That said I noticed the B744 crew takes out a 747 for a spin every weekend, flying some domestic routes, probably to stay current on their licence.

superboi

Wondering why it took so long - airlines around the world have been retiring aged/obsolete aircraft en masse during the pandemic. According to AI's website two of them have been leased so they have effectively been paying lease charges on dead assets for the last year at least.

As the article points out, it is the end of an era - hopefully there will be a final tribute flight for enthusiasts to get a ride...although the pandemic may prevent that from happening.

oliver2002

The B744 were not retired because the crew was required for the VIP missions. Now that the B777 (L?) for Modis वायु सेना 1 is here they are allowed to retire...

PiperAtGatesofDawn

AI has said (rather tweeted) they're not retiring their 747s any time soon.

oliver2002

I saw that too. Has the B777 वायु सेना 1 been delivered? Until that is ready for service I doubt they will scrap the B744s.

PiperAtGatesofDawn

I think both (or at least one) was delivered in Oct last year.