The $300,000,000 Boeing 747 gifted to the United States by Qatar is already flying under a striking call sign

There’s been a lot of media buzz about the $300 million Boeing 747 being gifted to the United States by Qatar, but until now, very few people knew its call sign.

Virtually every element of the plane has been scrutinized, whether it be from a political angle or from the perspective of an aviation enthusiast.

It almost feels like there’s nothing left to know about this plane, but you’d be wrong to think that.

We’ve now learned that the plane is flying in the skies under a very peculiar call sign.

This Boeing 747 has an interesting call sign

For those of you not invested in the world of aviation, you might not be sure what a call sign is.

These are the unique identifiers used when pilots are communicating with air traffic control.

You’ll have no doubt heard them being used in a film at one point or another.

Sometimes the call signs are flight numbers, whereas other times they can be aircraft registration numbers.

Variations on this include ‘Speedbird’ (British Airways), ‘Shamrock’ (Aer Lingus), and ‘Cactus’ (America West).

All pretty fitting, right?

Well, we’re not quite sure what to make of the call sign for the new Air Force One.

You may recall that Qatar gifted the US a $300 million Boeing 747 to use as the new Air Force One.

A lot has been written about this plane, which is understandable – just look at its stunning interior.

This is a plane worth making a big deal about.

As recently as October 2025, it was reported that the plane was undergoing its transformation in Texas.

It’s now being reported that the plane is undergoing test flights ahead of its anticipated summer delivery.

But that’s not what has been grabbing people’s attention – it’s the call sign.

That being ‘Vader 01’.

Now, the obvious inference from this is that the name is a nod to Darth Vader from Star Wars.

However, the word also means ‘father’ in Dutch and Afrikaans, so there’s a potential double meaning there.

At any rate, it’s highly likely that this is a temporary name until the plane officially becomes Air Force One.

We’ve seen a lot of cool planes serve as Air Force One over the years

Air Force One may well be one of the more recognizable plane monikers in the world.

Over the years, we’ve seen a lot of awesome planes serve each respective US President.

Ronald Reagan’s plane is particularly memorable.

Anyone old enough to remember Reagan’s time in office will associate his presidency with the 1980s.

And his plane delivers on that aesthetic wholeheartedly.