Brazilian Air Force One is the

Brazilian Air Force "Wings that protect the country" , colours = , colours_label = , march = Hino dos Aviadores , mascot = , anniversaries = 22 May (anniver ...

call sign of the aircraft carrying the

President of Brazil The president of Brazil ( pt, Presidente do Brasil), officially the president of the Federative Republic of Brazil ( pt, Presidente da República Federativa do Brasil) or simply the ''President of the Republic'', is the head of state and head o ...

. On international flights the aircraft uses the Brazilian Air Force ICAO code BRS1 and callsign Brazilian Air Force 01. The Special Transport Group (GTE) is the unit of the Brazilian Air Force responsible for transporting the President,

Vice-President A vice president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vice president is on ...

and other senior government officials.

Main aircraft (VC-1A)

The main presidential aircraft currently used to transport the President of Brazil is a modified version of the

Airbus A319 The Airbus A319 is a member of the Airbus A320 family of short- to medium-range, narrow-body, commercial passenger twin-engine jet airliners manufactured by Airbus. The A319 carries 124 to 156 passengers and has a maximum range of . Final assem ...

, with tail number 2101. It was designated by the Brazilian Air Force as VC-1A, and officially christened as the " Santos-Dumont", after the Brazilian aviation pioneer. It is used to transport the President on all medium and long-range international flights.

Cabin configuration and security

The VC-1A differs from standard A319 in features and security configuration. The

cabin Cabin may refer to: Buildings * Beach cabin, a small wooden hut on a beach * Log cabin, a house built from logs * Cottage, a small house * Chalet, a wooden mountain house with a sloping roof * Cabin, small free-standing structures that serve as i ...

is divided into three separate sections. The first section (near the

cockpit A cockpit or flight deck is the area, usually near the front of an aircraft or spacecraft, from which a pilot controls the aircraft. The cockpit of an aircraft contains flight instruments on an instrument panel, and the controls that e ...

) is the presidential area of the aircraft, configured with a private office, a presidential suite, a meeting room and a security office. The middle section is configured with first-class seats reserved for authorities and senior staff. The rear section is configured with 20 business-class seats reserved for journalists and other passengers. The aircraft is also equipped with an

Intensive Care Unit 220px, Intensive care unit An intensive care unit (ICU), also known as an intensive therapy unit or intensive treatment unit (ITU) or critical care unit (CCU), is a special department of a hospital or health care facility that provides intensi ...

, three

galley A galley is a type of ship that is propelled mainly by oars. The galley is characterized by its long, slender hull, shallow draft, and low freeboard (clearance between sea and gunwale). Virtually all types of galleys had sails that could be u ...

s and satellite communications. The aircraft was designed to serve as an airborne command post, allowing the president to fully conduct his, or her duties from the air in the event of political instability or armed conflict. For that purpose, the plane is equipped with a number of military defense capabilities, such as anti-aircraft missile countermeasures and a

Radar Warning Receiver Radar warning receiver (RWR) systems detect the radio emissions of radar systems. Their primary purpose is to issue a warning when a radar signal that might be a threat is detected, like a fighter aircraft's fire control radar. The warning can ...

. To guarantee the protection of classified and sensitive information, the aircraft is linked with the " SISCOMIS" (Brazilian Military Communications Satellite) which can be used to transfer data, image and voice between the aircraft and

Brasília Brasília (; ) is the federal capital of Brazil and seat of government of the Federal District. The city is located at the top of the Brazilian highlands in the country's Central-West region. It was founded by President Juscelino Kubitsche ...

Possible replacement

In July 2012 anonymous sources leaked that President Dilma Rousseff authorized the Brazilian Air Force to talk with Boeing about the purchase of a B-747 widebody, similar to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

's Air Force One, as replacement for the A-319 as main Presidential Aircraft. Among the reasons for this early replacement of a still relatively young aircraft is the limited range of the present plane, which does not allow direct flights from Brasília to countries such as India and China, as well as recent mechanical problems of present aircraft.

Secondary aircraft (VC-2)

Embraer VC-2, Brazil - Air Force JP6903556

Two modified

Embraer 190 The Embraer E-Jet family is a series of four-abreast narrow-body short- to medium-range twin-engine jet airliners designed and produced by the Brazilian aerospace manufacturer Embraer. The E-Jet was designed as a complement to the preceding ...

jets, Air Force designation VC-2, christened as "

Bartolomeu de Gusmão Bartolomeu Lourenço de Gusmão (December 1685 – 18 November 1724) was a Brazilian-born Portuguese priest and naturalist, who was a pioneer of lighter-than-air airship design. Early life Gusmão was born at Santos, then part of the Portugues ...

" and " Augusto Severo", are used for presidential travel within

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

and South America. The Brazilian Air Force purchased the aircraft on 2 June 2008 to replace the two Boeing 737-2N3 (VC-96) that were previously used for short-range presidential transport. Comfort, safety, performance and technology were the priorities for choosing the new

Embraer Embraer S.A. () is a Brazilian multinational aerospace manufacturer that produces commercial, military, executive and agricultural aircraft, and provides aeronautical services. It was founded in 1969 in São José dos Campos, São Paulo, where ...

jets. The aircraft is configured with special communications systems, a private presidential office and a meeting room. It has the capacity for carrying 40 passengers with a range of over 2,500 miles.

Other aircraft

Along with the VC-1A and the VC-2s, 21 other aircraft are part of the fleet: * Two VIP-configured Eurocopter EC725 (VH-36) presidential helicopter. * Two VIP-configured Eurocopter Super Puma (VH-34) presidential helicopters. * Two VIP-configured Embraer ERJ-145 (VC-99C) aircraft. * Ten Embraer ERJ-145 (C-99A) jets. * Three Gates Learjet 35 (VU-35) jets. * Two

Eurocopter EC135 The Eurocopter EC135 (now Airbus Helicopters H135) is a twin-engine civil light utility helicopter produced by Airbus Helicopters (formerly known as Eurocopter). It is capable of flight under instrument flight rules (IFR) and is outfitted wit ...

(VH-35) helicopters The VIP fleet is stationed at

Brasília Air Force Base Brasília Air Force Base – ALA1 is a base of the Brazilian Air Force that operates next to the Brasília-President Juscelino Kubitschek International Airport. It was created on December 3, 1963, and is known throughout Brazil for being the ...

(BABR) and operated by the Special Transportation Group (GTE).

Former aircraft

Former aircraft used for transportation of the President of Brazil:

Notes

References

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External links

Brazilian Air Force
VC-1A technical stats and photos

Information and photos

VC-1A and VC-2 information and photos {{Presidential transportation Brazilian Air Force Presidential aircraft Vehicles of Brazil