Editing Boeing C-32 (section)

{{short description|Executive transport aircraft by Boeing}}
<!-- This article is a part of [[Wikipedia:WikiProject Aircraft]]. Please see [[Wikipedia:WikiProject Aircraft/page content]] for recommended layout. -->{{Use American English|date=June 2021}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2021}}
{{Infobox aircraft
| name = C-32
| image = File:90017 - Boeing C-32 - United States Air Force (48632429886).jpg
| caption = A C-32A on final approach
| type = [[Very Important Person|VIP]] transport, [[special operations]]
| manufacturer = [[Boeing]]
| national_origin = United States
| designer = 
| first_flight = 
| introduction = June 1998
| retired = 
| produced = 
| number_built = C-32A: 8<ref name="factsheet2" /><br> C-32B: 4<ref name="b622" />
| status = In service
| primary_user = [[United States Air Force]]
| more_users = 
| developed_from = [[Boeing 757]]
| variants = 
}}

The '''Boeing C-32''' is the [[United States Air Force]] designation for variants of the [[Boeing 757]] in military service. Two variants exist, filling different parts of the military passenger transport role. The '''C-32A''' serves the [[Special Air Mission]], providing executive transport and broad communications capabilities to senior political officials, while the '''C-32B Gatekeeper''' provides clandestine airlift to special operations and global emergency response efforts, a role known as "covered air".<ref>{{Cite book|last=Naylor|first=Sean|url=https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781466876224|title=Relentless Strike: The Secret History of Joint Special Operations Command|publisher=[[St. Martin's Press]]|year=2015|isbn=9781466876224|location=New York|pages=15|language=en|author-link=Sean Naylor}}</ref>

The primary users of the C-32A are the [[Vice President of the United States|vice president of the United States]] (using the call sign "[[Air Force Two]]" when aboard), the [[First Lady of the United States|first lady]], and the [[United States Secretary of State|secretary of state]]. On occasion, other members of the [[Cabinet of the United States|president's Cabinet]] and [[United States Congress|members of Congress]] have flown aboard the C-32A. The aircraft also occasionally serves as [[Air Force One]] in place of the larger [[Boeing VC-25|VC-25A]] for a variety of reasons, including accessing smaller airports domestically or when the larger aircraft is not needed.

Less is known of the activities of C-32B, whose existence is not widely promoted by the Air Force,<ref>{{Cite web|date=September 21, 2020|title=C-32|url=https://www.af.mil/About-Us/Fact-Sheets/Display/Article/104518/c-32/ |access-date=2021-08-07|website=U.S. Air Force|language=en-US}}</ref> they support government airlift for crisis.<ref name=":10">{{Cite web |title=C-32 Archives |url=https://www.airandspaceforces.com/weapons-platforms/c-32/ |access-date=2025-01-26 |website=Air & Space Forces Magazine |language=en-US}}</ref> The B models are former commercial 757 used for global airlift for government crisis needs.<ref name=":10" /> The modified aircraft were acquired to support the U.S. State Department's [[Foreign Emergency Support Team]], and have ties to [[special operations]], and the [[United States Intelligence Community|U.S. Intelligence Community]].

The C-32 replaced the [[Boeing C-137 Stratoliner|C-137 Stratoliner]], achieving double the range yet able to land on shorter runways than that aircraft.<ref>{{Cite news |title=C-32 |url=https://www.af.mil/About-Us/Fact-Sheets/Display/Article/104518/c-32/ |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20241213203840/https://www.af.mil/About-Us/Fact-Sheets/Display/Article/104518/c-32/ |archive-date=2024-12-13 |access-date=2025-01-26 |work=Air Force |language=en-US}}</ref> The C-137 was based on the [[Boeing 707]], and had been in service several decades.