The title of this article is a little sensational — although there are less publicized aircraft that do follow the US President everywhere, they are not completely secret. Otherwise, writing this article would not be possible. However, they are underreported, sometimes unacknowledged, and their capabilities and the extent of their functions may be classified. This article will consider two types of aircraft that tend to follow the US President: modified Boeing 757s and the E-4B Nightwatch.

The modified Boeing 757s can be split into the officially acknowledged C-32As and the secretive shadow Boeing 757 transport aircraft, both operated by the Presidential Airlift Group. Not discussed in this article is the Air Force’s shadowy fleet of Gulfstream C-20Cs that Politico says “don’t really officially exist.” Politico adds, “they have gone nearly everywhere the president travels, paralleling presidential trips, serving as his chameleons, blending in anonymously at airports close by presidential visits—but never at the same airport where Air Force One itself is landing.” It’s worth keeping in mind that the US President does not travel alone, but rather with a fleet of often shadowy aircraft.

Clarification Over “Air Force One”

Credit: US Air Force

First, it is important to point out the nuance that “Air Force One” is not an aircraft designation; it is a callsign. The callsign is used for the US flying on any Air Force aircraft. Analogous callsigns are used when he flies on aircraft from other services, “Marine One”, “Army One”, “Coast Guard One”, etc. People have come to associate the callsign “Air Force One” with the heavily modified Boeing 747-200 aircraft designated the VC-25A.

These VC-25As have become iconic and are the Air Force aircraft that typically transport the US president. However, typically not exclusively. In 2023, when President Biden flew to Poland to visit Ukraine, he flew on a C-32A, which is a much smaller modified Boeing 757-200 airliner. These are often called “Air Force Two” as they typically carry the Vice President or other high-ranking officials.

In 2026, Trump’s VC-25A broke down on the way to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, and so he was forced to transfer to the backup Boeing 757 to attend the conference. It should be noted that details of the incident are scarce, although the Air Force did acknowledge a “minor electrical problem.”

The Shadow Fleet Of Boeing 757s

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Defense One notes “minutes after Air Force One takes off from anywhere in the world, another blue-and-white aircraft emblazoned with ‘United States of America’ typically follows to far less fanfare.” The Air Force is known to operate four of these aircraft thanks to efforts by plane spotters and aviation enthusiasts. As explained below, this means the Air Force could have as many as eight VIP Boeing 757 transports in service.

These aircraft can fly the US president to smaller airports unable to accommodate the large Boeing 747 “Air Force One” jets. They also serve as a backup for when the larger Jumbo breaks down. Notably, while the purchase and delays of the replacement Boeing 747-8s as the future VC-25B fleet and the interim ex-Qatari VC-25 Bridge Aircraft are highly debated and analyzed, there is almost no discussion about these four jets. There is not even a public paper trail.

According to Defense One, “Boeing stopped making the 757 in 2005, which likely means the Air Force turned to the secondhand market for its secret fleet.” It’s worth noting that the Air Force is purchasing white-tail 747’s built for collapsed Transaero, an ex-Qatari 747-8, two ex-Lufthansa 747-8s, and five ex-Korean Air 747-8s are being used for the E-3 Nightwatch replacement, so the service has no qualms about purchasing second-hand commercial aircraft.

Not The Same As Publicly Acknowledged C-32s

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It’s important not to confuse these shadow 757s with the C-32s. The US Air Force acknowledges operating four C-32As used as lower-tier VIP “Air Force Two” transports. These were ordered in 1996 and delivered a couple of years later. It is also known to operate two all-white Boeing 757s designated C-32Bs. However, the Air Force does not acknowledge the existence of those aircraft.

These shadow 757s have been used by US presidents since the 2010s. It’s worth noting that a contracting notice was issued in 2009 seeking new and used aircraft for flying top US government officials. Defense One says three of the shadow fleet aircraft have registration numbers beginning with 09, suggesting they were purchased in 2009.

The aircraft interiors of the shadow aircraft and the publicly acknowledged four C-32s are known to be configured differently. That said, they also have large seats and conference tables. An interior image emerged in 2014. Obama was the first president to use these aircraft, although they have been used by Trump and Biden to some extent. The tail numbers have since been removed.

Records Of The Secretly Acquired Shadow Fleet

Credit: US Air Force

The shadow aircraft previously had the tail numbers 90015, 90016, 90017, and 90018. According to Planespotters.net, 90015 is a Boeing 757-200 built by Boeing in 1991 and delivered to Ladeco Airlines before being transferred to Far Eastern Air Transport in 1996 and then L3 Communications in 2006 before winding up in USAF service in 2010 as a VIP aircraft. L3 Communications is now called L3Harris and is one of the primary contractors responsible for modifying commercial aircraft for military purposes.

The 757-200 registered 090016 was built in 1996 and delivered to Trans World Airlines before flying with American Airlines in 2001. In 2007, it was also purchased by L3 Communications before entering USAF service in 2011. In 2012, the USAF took delivery of its third shadow 757-200. That aircraft was delivered to Aeromexico in 1994 before being acquired by L3 Communications in 2007.

Finally, the final known shadow Flying Pencil registered 190018 or 090018 was first delivered to Finnair in 1997 before going to L3 Communications in 2013 and making its way into USAF service in 2018. Defense One differs from this timeline a little, saying it was purchased by L3 “sometime before 2015” when a plane spotter in Japan recorded it landing at Kansai International Airport in Osaka. It adds that the aircraft entered service in 2019.

Public Flight Tracking Considered A Threat

Credit: US Air Force

It should be noted that it is not possible to know which aircraft are being used by the callsign. When following the President, Defense One says, “a C-32 flying in trail duty generally uses the callsign ‘SAM,’ for ‘special airlift mission,’ just as the public C-32s do.” Additionally, the Pentagon considered open-source flight tracking and data aggregation a threat. US participation in Operation Midnight Hammer in 2025 was publicly monitored to the point that OSINT accounts were forecasting the hour of the impending strike, while the buildup in airpower in 2026 was followed in eye-watering real-time detail.

In February 2026, the AFCENT Chief of Weapons and Tactics, Maj. Claire Randolph spoke about the complexity of maintaining OPSEC for Operation Midnight Hammer, saying, “Twitter randos tracking and publishing our locations in ways we would consider top secret.” One well-known “Twitter rando,” Steffan Watkins, explained that if he can track USAF flights, then so can Russia, China, and Iran, and “The USAF know exactly what they’re doing, and any whining about OSINT randos is disingenuous blather.” There may be truth to saying that both more and far less happens in secret with the USAF than the public realizes.

It is unclear how much these shadow 757s differ in their communications suite from those of the official C-32As. One more detail that can be added about the shadow fleet is that they are known to be based at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland and that the Air Force built a large hangar (called Hangar 20) for them between 2007 and 2010. The hangar is located next to Hangar 19, which houses the two familiar VC-25A Jumbos.

The Boeing E-4B Nightwatch “Doomsday” Airplanes

Credit: USAF

The other important aircraft worth mentioning that frequently shadows the President is the Boeing E-4B Nightwatch. These are a fleet of highly modified Boeing 747-200s and are designed as a survivable command center in the event of an emergency, like a nuclear war. Dubbed the “Doomsday planes,” they typically shadow the President during international trips. They are based at Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska, and at least one E-4B is reported to be on alert 24/7.

It is unclear if these survivable airborne command posts follow the President everywhere or if they prioritize major and high-risk trips. These aircraft are not a secret, but they are rarely discussed and don’t receive a lot of attention. Like the “Air Force One” jets, they are aging and in need of replacement. Suffering a $2 billion loss on its current Air Force One replacement contract, Boeing had no interest in accepting the fixed-price contract the USAF offered to replace the E-4Bs. Consequently, the contract went by default to the other bidder, Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC).

SNC purchased five ex-Korean Air 747-8s to be converted as the next-generation E-4C Survivable Airborne Operations Center. The first are expected to enter service in 2032. Details of the systems and capabilities of these aircraft remain highly classified. They are designed to be the emergency mobile command center for the highest levels of the US government and to ensure the US has the coordination to mount a response even in the event of a surprise, devastating first strike taking out much of the ground infrastructure.