India Gets New VVIP Aircraft; B777 flies from Texas to Delhi | India News

NEW DELHI: The new chariot of the skies for the Indian president, vice president and prime minister flew into the country Thursday afternoon directly from Boeing Defense base in Texas. The Boeing 777 with state-of-the-art defense and communication systems is likely to operate its first VVIP flight next month. An exact replica of this plane will also fly home in a few days.
For the past 25 years, Air India’s Boeing 747s have carried dignitaries around the world like AI One. Now the two B777s will replace the old jumbos. Four Air India pilots flew the B777 nonstop from Forth Worth, Texas, to Delhi, covering a distance of about 13,000 km in just over 15 hours. He landed at the IGI airport at 3.11pm. AI has deployed 10 to 15 of its most experienced B777 pilots to operate the two VVIP jets which reduced around Rs 8.5 billion.
“There will be a hybrid model for some time with the AI ​​crew operating the planes before the Indian Air Force personnel who are being trained on the new plane are ready to take over,” the sources said.
While it is not yet clear what the new VVIP car will be called, sources indicate that it could be called “India One”. “For the past 25 years, AI jumbo jets were known as AI One while operating VVIP flights. Now IAF will do the same with the new B777s. Calling them Air Force One could be misleading and India One is a likely name, ”the sources said.
AI Engineering will maintain the two aircraft. Two hangars will be built on the technical side of Palam for the new aircraft.
India One will be the most modern and sophisticated VVIP aircraft in the world. Two old jumbo jets are currently operating as Air India One. Boeing is working on replacements for these two planes that will likely be ready soon.

The two Boeing 777-300 Extended Range (ER) aircraft for Indian VVIP are equipped with advanced security systems to block and defeat hostile incoming missiles and encrypted communication facilities. The two wide-body aircraft, originally delivered to AI in January 2018, are equipped with “Large Aircraft Infrared Countermeasures Self-Protection Suites (SPS) (LAIRCM)” in the US.
These security systems alone have cost Rs 1,365 million in the FMS (Foreign Military Sales) deal signed with the US government.The LAIRCM-SPS protects large aircraft from shoulder-fired and intermediate-range missiles. Increase crew warning time, decrease false alarm rates, and automatically counter hostile missiles.
The defense system includes “radar alert receivers”, which basically sound an alert if hostile radar “paints” the aircraft before launching loose missiles, and “missile approach alert systems.” Advanced electronic countermeasures aboard the aircraft will be able to block enemy radars, along with defense systems designed to fire metallic particles or flares to launch heat-seeking or radar-guided missiles off the runway.
Unlike jumbos that need a stopover in Europe while flying between India and the Americas, the new plane can fly nonstop for more than 17 hours; basically, they can fly from Delhi nonstop to almost anywhere in the world. They have been customized to have large cabins with bedrooms for VVIP passengers, as well as a mini hospital, conference room and seats for accompanying officers.