Donald Trump designing 'incredible' new Air Force One to be red, white and blue

Donald Trump is redesigning Air Force One to be more patriotic with red, white and blue paint - at a cost of $3.9bn (£2.9bn).

The plane's current light blue design, chosen by President John F Kennedy and his wife Jackie, has become synonymous with presidential jets over the past five decades.

However Mr Trump said he wanted to do away with the "baby blue colours" for the next version of 747s created by Boeing.

In December 2016, Mr Trump tweeted that cost for a pair of Air Force One planes was "out of control" at "more than $4 billion."

The president is thought to have personally negotiated the deal for the replacement set with Boeing's CEO at a cost of $3.9bn, which Mr Trump claims is a $1.5bn saving for the American public.

Effusive in his praise for the new design, Mr Trump variously described it as "top of the line" and "top of the world" in an interview with CBS News.

"Boeing gave us a good deal. And we were able to take that," Mr Trump said. "But I said, 'I wonder if we should use the same baby blue colors?' And we're not."

Mr Trump conceded that the "incredible" new design will largely be for future presidents since it will not be completed until 2021 at the earliest.

"I hate to say this, it's gonna be a long time," Mr Trump said. "It's a very complex project. But by the time it gets built, you're gonna have many presidents, hopefully, use it and enjoy it."

Air Force One - the name used to describe whichever plane carrying the US president - typically consists of two planes. The jets are highly customised, designed with secure communications networks and specialised equipment to allow presidents to continue working as they travel.

The current planes first came into use for President George H W Bush - making them more than 30 years old.

The first official jet was used by President Dwight Eisenhower in 1959 and was decorated in a red and gold colour scheme.

This will be the first change to the jet since the distinctive light blue and white colour scheme was adopted by the Kennedys in the early 1960s.

However, some critics have pointed out that Russia's presidential plane is also decorated in the same colours as the new design.

Mr Trump has also announced he is making changes to the plane's interior - it follows reports last week that the president wished to increase the size of the beds, complaining they were smaller than those on his own private jet.