Does Air Force One Fly With Fighter Jets?

The president of the United States is afforded all kinds of perks as partial payment for one of government's most stressful and important jobs. For instance, there's Secret Service protection, even when no longer in the position; a sizable salary; and pretty sweet modes of transportation. Easily the most iconic is the presidential plane, actually two different Boeing 747-200Bs often referred to by their shared call sign, Air Force One. 

Air Force One can stay in the air for some time, and during its time in flight, it can sometimes be spotted accompanied by fighter jets in the name of security. Planes such as General Dynamics' F-16 Flying Falcon or Lockheed Martin's F-22 Raptor will fly alongside Air Force One as escorts. These incredibly fast stealth fighters — both capable of reaching Mach 2 – act as an added layer of protection for the president and others aboard Air Force One. The F-16 and F-22 alike carry robust arsenals containing cannons, missiles, air-to-surface weaponry, and more, protecting the commander-in-chief from potential airborne and ground threats.

Just because it takes to the skies alongside fighter jets doesn't Air Force One itself isn't equipped for emergencies. It has a host of defensive measures to rely on should something go awry.

Just by looking at them, it's easy to tell that neither Air Force One plane is a fighter jet, nor aircraft designed to go after an enemy. They have no built-in weapons systems. But that's not to say that either plane is just a typical, run-of-the-mill passenger transport. Throughout the history of presidential aircraft, Air Force One has been enhanced and modified to defend itself from various forms of attack.

To keep the president safe, Air Force One has several key features. For one, both planes are outfitted with high-end communication equipment to maintain a direct line with those on the ground. To protect this and other equipment, the planes' electronics systems are heavily fortified against electromagnetic pulses and similar attacks. In case a more explosive attack comes the planes' way, though, both Air Force One planes have anti-missile defenses. They can even jam radar and send out flares, along with other bells and whistles that are currently classified.

Overall, Air Force One's defenses act as a last resort, should the surrounding fighter jets become preoccupied with the threat at hand or outright fail. Meanwhile, there are other aircraft that Air Force One routinely travels alongside, and one that's prepared to take over in a worst-case scenario.

Regardless of the nature of a trip, Air Force One generally doesn't travel alone. Throughout the decades, presidential aircraft have been joined by their share of accompanying planes for different purposes. For example, there are planes responsible for bringing along large cargo the president will need, such as ground transportation for the president, Secret Service agents, and other government travelers, as well as services needed for everyone to stay comfortable in more remote areas.

Before they were retired in 2017, Gulfstream C-20C jets — mysterious aircraft the U.S. Air Force and government at large were hesitant to acknowledge — joined Air Force One wherever it went, serving as backup planes. Also worth highlighting, even if it doesn't spend much time in the air around Air Force One, is the ever-ready but seldom-used E-4B, one of four modified Boeing 747-200s designed to maintain government communication in a nuclear war. This is effectively a doomsday plane that functions similarly to the usual Air Force Ones.

Air Force One has successfully transported president after president over the years, but from cargo planes to protective fighter jets, clearly presidential travel isn't a one-pilot show. With big changes coming to the U.S. military's fleet in 2025, and likely more in the distant future, it'll be interesting to see how Air Force One and its related planes and protocols will evolve.