Air Force won't buy refrigerators worth $24M for Air Force One

June 5 (UPI) -- Air Force One will not be outfitted with two refrigerators worth $24 million, the Air Force said in a letter to Connecticut Rep. Joe Courtney.

In a letter dated May 29, Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson said the Air Force and the White House Military Office decided to "terminate the effort" to replace the refrigerators.

"While the VC-25A chiller replacement requirement still exists, the progress on the VC-25B program weighed against the cost of the chiller effort makes termination the most prudent fiscal sense for the government," Wilson wrote in the letter.

Wilson noted there are other steps available to ensure "food security."

"The Air Force has notified Boeing of the government's intention to cancel the subject contract," Wilson wrote

Boeing was awarded a $23.7 million contract to replace two of the five refrigerators aboard Air Force One in December. The refrigerators were part of the original commercial equipment delivered with the aircraft in 1990.

"Clearly, the Air Force is making the right decision to cancel the previously announced sole-source contract and hit restart on this process," Courtney, a Democrat, said in a statement. "Even with the understanding that the Air Force One mission brings with it unique requirements and challenges, a $24 million sole-source contract just didn't pass the smell test."

"I commend the Air Force for reversing this decision and look forward to working with them to ensure the next-generation Air Force One program stays on schedule."