President-elect Donald Trump said Tuesday that the U.S. Air Force should cancel its order with Boeing for a pair of planes slated to serve as the new Air Force One and a backup aircraft.

'Boeing is building a brand new 747 Air Force One for future presidents, but costs are out of control, more than $4 billion. Cancel order!' Trump tweeted.

He hinted to reporters in the lobby of Trump Tower less than an hour later, however, that the Boeing contract could be continued once he moves in at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue because he wants Boeing to be profitable – to a point.

'The plane is totally out of control. It's going to be over $4 billion – it's for [the] Air Force One program. And I think it's ridiculous,' Trump said. 'I think Boeing is doing a little bit of a number. We want Boeing to make a lot of money, but not that much money.'

Donald Trump told reporters on Tuesday that the Air Force One replacement program's costs are 'totally out of control. ... We want Boeing to make a lot of money, but not that much money'

Trump set off a firestorm Tuesday morning by tweeting that the U.S. Air Force should 'cancel' its order for new Air Force One jets because of cost overruns

Air Force One, the president's 'mobile Oval Office,' boasts 4,000 square feet of space, classified communications gear, missile defenses and a surgical suite

Parts of the current Air Force One plane look more like an office than an aircraft

Trump complained about the current presidential planes as he campaigned for president, typically when he criticized President Barack Obama for flying to Hawaii in Air Force One – with its 'aging engines' that 'spew stuff' into the environment – following remarks about carbon emissions and global warming.

Congress set aside $1.65 billion last year to cover the entire Air Force One replacement program through 2019.

This year that number grew to $2.9 billion through 2021. But Boeing's contract so far only calls for $170 million in payments for research, development and other preparations – not the plane-building itself.

White House press secretary Josh Earnest disputed Trump's numbers during a briefing with reporters aboard the current Air Force One, saying that 'some of the statistics that have been cited, shall we say, don't appear to reflect the nature of the financial agreement between Boeing and the Department of Defense.'

'I think the American people would expect that future presidents would benefit from unique and upgraded capabilities while flying aboard Air Force One,' he said while the plane was en route to Tampa.

'The updated Air Force One is not set to come online until 2023,' Earnest added. 'This is a longer-range plan, but ultimately the planning work that we have done on behalf of future presidents is something the next administration will have to decide to carry forward.'

The president's plan includes a spacious nose-cone suite for POTUS, a small section in the rear for reporters, and two galleys

The current Air Force One planes will reach the end of their expected useful lives in 2017.

It's unclear where Trump's $4 billion number came from. Boeing did not respond to a request for comment.

A Trump spokesman told reporters during a conference call that 'when you look at the cost of the two new Air Force Ones plus the research and development, the overall program cost, it's a pretty big number.'

The new Air Force One is being built on the platform of Boeing's newest flagship, the 747-8 series jumbo jet

Trump showed up outside his building's lobby elevators on Tuesday morning and talked to assembled media for less than two minutes

The president-elect tweeted that Boeing's price tag for the new Air Force One jets had topped $4 billion, but it's unclear where that number came from

'I think this really speaks to the president-elect's focus on keeping costs down across the board with regard to government spending,' he emphasized.

'People are really frustrated with the big price tags that are coming out for some of these programs, even in addition to this one. So we're going to look for areas where we can keep costs down.'

Air Force One isn't a garden-variety 747: It's outfitted with proprietary military technology including classified communications gear and defenses against missile attacks.

The 'mobile Oval Office' includes 4,000 square feet of space on three separate levels. The president and his guests have the use of a conference room, a dining room, senior staff offices and even a medical operating room – for the doctor who comes along with every flight.

The plane's on-board electronics are also hardened to protect against the electromagnetic pulses created during a nuclear explosion.

President Obama has a private conference room on his plane, along with sleeping quarters

Trump, a real estate CEO, has set an unusual tone early in his transition process, personally intervening to tweak how individual companies are doing business.

Last week he announced a change of tack for Carrier, an Indiana company that pledged to keep 1,100 jobs in the U.S. – instead of moving them to Mexico – after Trump brokered a deal with the state government, run by governor and vice president-elect Mike Pence.

Trump himself reported owning stock in Boeing worth between $50,001 and $100,000 when he filed a lengthy financial disclosure earlier this year.

But 'the president-elect sold all his stock back in June,' his spokesman said Tuesday.

OUT WITH THE OLD 747-200B... Frame: 747-200B Space: 4,000 square feet Rooms: Office, conference room, bedroom, medical suite / operating room Range: 6,865 nautical miles Communication: Phone, WiFi Costs: $180,000 an hour Weight capacity: 144,690 lbs Fuel capacity: 52,410 gallons Max seating: 452 passengers Length: 231.6 feet Wingspan: 195.50 feet Advertisement