Photo safari: Chasing the bird (Air Force One, NATO summit 2025)

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? Yes, it is Air Force One! 

The following days saw extra flights to Schiphol for the NATO summit. First a US Marine Corps KC-130J dropping off some more vehicles followed by the US president and his entourage the following day. 

The US president flies aboard a modified Boeing 747-200 designated VC-25A by the US Air Force. When the US president is on board, it uses the call sign Air Force One. 

The US Air Force has a fleet of two VC-25As and they usually operate together with the second VC-25A hosting past of the presidents entourage. This time however, it was a US Air Force Boeing 757, known as a C-32A by the service, that was used for this task. 

Somehow it just feels wrong without a tail number

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Photo safari: Chasing the beast (NATO summit 2025)

 And not just any beast. The beast I am talking about is the U.S. presidential state car built by Cadillac. 

The beast

With the NATO summit in The Hague only a few days away the U.S. presidential motorcade is being airlifted in. Three C-17A Globemaster IIIs brought in 'the beast' and several other cars to Schiphol for use by the president of the United States. 

The US presidential state car, also known as 'the beast' or 'Cadillac One', is never alone. They always drive in pairs, with the car carrying the US president called 'stagecoach' and the other 'spare'. They carry identical license plates.

A modified Chevrolet Suburban

A modified Ford F-350 Super Duty

Stagecoach and spare, but which is which?

They are accompanied by several other vehicles, mostly Chevrolet Suburbans or similar SUVs, each with their own task. These appear to be owned by the Department of Defense.

Operation Orange Shield

As part of the overall security during the summit the Dutch armed forces are executing operation Orange Shield. As part of the operation two NH-90NFH helicopters visited Schiphol.

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Mission in Malaysia - Part 3: LIMA day 2

When we arrived at the fence this morning everything was wet, we apparently just missed a huge downpour. With the runway still wet the take-off of the F/A-18D was spectacular, as was the high-speed pass. 

The day would largely go the same as yesterday. The Hornet opening the show, the opening gambit formations, the Flanker and Hornet solo demonstrations and the Jupiter team perfecting their demo. We had better luck with the weather today, I am quite happy with the shots taken today.

After the displays it was bank to the runway to catch air show arrivals. Not everything turned up today but that was okay as we had a few more days to go. And the Russians? Word on the street was that they were still in Novosibirsk.

After a good day's work we decided to visit the hotel pool for a quick swim, followed by a walk to the beach where we were entertained by the local fire breathers.

Mission in Malaysia - Part 2: LIMA day 1

After a short but good night's sleep we steered the scooter towards the airport for the first day at the fence.  We chose a small road opposite the runway and static area. First to depart was a single F/A-18D Hornet, this Hornet would blast over the airport at low level and high speed, dropping flares. A spectacular sight!

After the Hornet display it was time for the 'opening gambit', a display with a helicopter formation, a fighter formation, a trainer formation and a transport formation. This also included a fine Eurocopter Cougar duo display and a surprise visit from the solo Hornet. Now the weather wasn't playing ball so I'm just going to share a few shots from today.

After the opening gambit is was time for solo displays from Su-30MKM Flankers and F/A-18D Hornets but these declined to fly today. The Jupiter team from Indonesia flying South Korean built KT-1B trainer aircraft saved the day so to speak, performing their routine. After this display we relocated to the other side of the airport for better light as we were about to get backlit aircraft on our current spot. 

Our new position was a perfect spot for shooting landing aircraft, we stayed here for the rest of the day. Today saw no extra arrivals for the static show, we were hoping tomorrow would bring some exciting aircraft for the static display. We didn't know what to expect, but word on the street was that the Russians were on their way and now at Novosibirsk. The weather had been so-so for most of the day so we called it quits after a few hours on this spot. Next stop was the swimming pool in our hotel, followed by a walk to the beach for food and drinks. Not a bad way to end my first full day here!