What is Air Force One? Donald Trump’s Boeing 747 200B being used by US President on UK visit

AIR Force One is the ultimate symbol of the US President's power and authority.

The aircraft prominently bears the the American flag on its outside, making it instantly recognisable. Here's what we know...

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What is Air Force One?

Air Force One is one of two specially modified Boeing 747-200B jets which carries the US President.

Modified Boeing 747-200s have been serving presidents since 1987 but the company has been looking after presidents for more than half a century.

The 4,000sq feet plane can act as a mobile command centre in the event of an attack on the United States.

In 1943, President Franklin D Roosevelt flew in a Boeing B-314 Dixie Clipper to Casablanca - the first time a sitting US president had travelled overseas by air.

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The plane is now seen as the original Air Force One but it wasn't until the late 1950s that Boeing built the first presidential aircraft the VC 137A in the late 1950s.

President Dwight Eisenhower was the first to use it, on a 19-day overseas tour in 1959.

In 1962, then-first lady Jackie Kennedy commissioned designer Raymond Loewy to style the plane - including a bold blue paint job because it was husband John F Kennedy's favourite colour.

Vice President Lyndon Johnson took the oath of office on board the aircraft after JFK's assassination, and the murdered president's body was transported from Dallas to Washington on board.

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What is on Air Force One?

Spread over three levels, it includes a Presidential suite with a large office and conference room.

A doctor, always on board, has access to a medical suite that can be used as an operating room.

The aircraft also boasts two food preparation galleys that can feed 100 people at a time.

It also has two kitchens, which can cater for 100 people at a time, and a shower.

The plane has 87 phones and a video-teleconference system so the president can address the nation on board.

It is outfitted with military technology and has classified communications gear and defences in case it is attacked by a missile.

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What other features does Air Force One have?

The plane can be refuelled in the air as it has a special fuel cap on its nose so a second plane can connect to it while flying above.

This means the plane could technically stay in the air indefinitely in case of an emergency.

Air Force One is also really fast - it can reach speeds of 600mph.

According to reports, F-16 fighter planes escorting the president's plane on September 11 had to ask Air Force One's pilot Colonel Mark Tillman to slow down.

Details of the plane's defence capabilities are top secret but it has the ability the function as a bunker in the event of a nuclear attack.

It's also reported to be capable of repelling airborne missiles and has a special electronic defence system that can jam enemy radars.

Electronics on board are designed to protect against an electromagnetic pulse and the aircraft is equipped with advanced secure communications equipment.