Gallery Update: Air Force C-40 Sighting in Salem!

Well, I wasn't expecting this! I was informed that a Boeing 737 landed at Salem a few hours prior and I had a hunch it hasn't gone anywhere, so I decided to go out to see if I can snap a few photos of it! And to my delight it was still on the ground and it wasn't just any 737, but a Boeing C-40, the military version of the Boeing 737-700 BBJ (Boeing Business Jet) used for VIP transport of government officials.

The C-40 consists of a standard Boeing 737-700 fuselage with the strengthened wings and landing gear of the larger and heavier 737-800. It is also equipped with auxiliary fuel tanks allowing for increased range. Around 30 C-40s have been built by Boeing to-date. Basically, the Boeing C-40 is a militarized 737-700 on steroids!

Salem (SLE) 89

Preview:

United States Air Force Boeing C-40C (737-7CP) BBJ (02-0203) parked on the ramp. Based out of Joint Base Andrews (JBA), Camp Springs, Maryland with the District of Columbia National Guard's 113th Wing, 201st Airlift Squadron.

Arrived earlier this afternoon as BOXER45 from Gray Army Airfield/Joint Base Lewis-McChord. Apparently, this C-40C brought the Secretary of the United States Air Force into town.

This airframe is one of two C-40Cs the D.C. Air National Guard's 201st Airlift Squadron acquired. Unlike the C-40A Clipper used exclusively by the Navy (not to mention the "Clipper" nickname is used only by the A-model used by the Navy!) and the C-40B, which the Air Force uses to transport senior military and high-ranking government officials as a mobile "office in the sky" with high-end communications capability, the C-40C holds the distinction of being the first U.S. military aircraft to be acquired as an "off-the-shelf" aircraft for the Department of Defense, primarily operated by the Air National Guard and National Guard Bureau as an airlift platform for military personnel.

As such, the C-40C is not equipped with advanced communications capabilities found in the C-40B. The C-40C's unique design is found in its versatile capability to change its seating configuration to accommodate anywhere from 42 to 111 passengers, a rather wide range considering it's main role is to airlift military personnel.

Other C-40C operators include the 932nd Airlift Wing out of Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, with four airframes currently stationed there.

Always a thrill to see a Boeing 737 in Salem of all places!