JOE Biden is descending on the UK with his giant presidential limo ‘The Beast’ leaving some asking “just how will it cope with Cornwall’s tiny lanes?”
The US president has reportedly flown in two of the massive Cadillacs – one a decoy – ahead of the three-day G7 summit at the Carbis Bay coastal estate this weekend.
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It had been reported that the world leader was expected to leave the mega-cars in his homeland amid fears they might get stuck in the rural county’s narrow and winding roads.
Now it’s been revealed they were transported into the UK in a Boeing C-17 Globemaster III ahead of the arrival of Air Force One.
However, some believe if the President does decide to head out onto Cornwall’s notoriously tight lanes he will probably ditch The Beast for a much smaller armoured SUV.
The specially built £1.1million Cadillacs both have five inch-thick bulletproof windows capable of withstanding a nuclear, biological or chemical attack
Encased in ballistic armour and weighing about nine tonnes, each contains a sealed cabin with an oxygen supply and bags of blood matching Biden’s type in case of a medical emergency.
Anyone foolish enough to grab the cars’ door handles without authorisation can expect to be hit with a 120-volt shock delivered at the flick of a switch from those inside.
The massive motors can also emit tear gas and flood the road with nails or an oil slick if being pursued.
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However, although the custom-built motors offer amazing security their sheer size – both are an incredible 18ft in length – makes manoeuvrability a real issue.
That proved the case in 2009 when Barack Obama’s presidential car almost got stuck as it attempted to perform what should have been a simple U-turn in Downing Street.
Donald Trump also brought The Beast to London for his 2019 state visit but the roads in and around the capital are nothing like those seen in rural part of Cornwall.
However, locals believe the President and his entourage will most likely stick to Cornwall’s main roads during his much-hyped trip to the UK.
They point out the route to the summit venue from Cornwall Airport Newquay involves no narrow country lanes and mainly runs along larger A roads.
And they say even the tight entrance to the Carbis Bay resort is frequented by large tour coaches which can be almost double the length of Mr Biden’s limo.
Hundreds of British troops, including bomb disposal teams and a navy warship, are joining more than 5,000 cops and a 400-strong US Secret Service team at the summit.
The armed forces are being drafted in to help cops as world leaders, their huge entourages and thousands of protesters descend on the south west coast.
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HMS Northumberland – a Type 23 frigate – will be positioned off the coast and use its radar system to help identify potential threats from the air and sea.
There will also be two offshore patrol vessels, six Archer class P2000 patrol vessels and a number of rigid inflatable boats to help with 24/7 surveillance.
Multiple bomb disposal teams and 15 explosives search dogs and handlers from the army will also operate under police command.
Armed cops will patrol nearby waters and the routes that VIPs will take between the airport, the summit venue and Tregenna Castle Resort, where the leaders are staying.
US pilots were also spotted practice landing a chopper – known as Marine One when the US President is on board – on Tregenna Castle golf course on Monday evening.
Other jets were seen tracing the route Air Force One will take when it eventually arrives.
What is the G7 summit?
Also known as the Group of Seven, these countries are seven of the largest economies of the world.
Together, they represent more than 62 per cent of the global net wealth ($280trillion).
The group was founded in the early 1970s as the seven countries discussed concerns about the collapse of the oil industry.
Since then, 43 summits have been held across the globe as members discuss everything from the environment to the economy.
The group was previously known as the G8 and counted Russia among its members, but Russia has been excluded since annexing the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine in early 2014
As part of a security ramp-up ahead of the summit, police have closed down up to 30 bridges across the A30 – one the main road leading into and through Cornwall.
A barrage of steel fences have been planted around Tregenna Castle as many roads and footpaths remain shut for up to 21 days.
One notice reads: “It is necessary to mitigate the danger to the public or damage to the highway (from incidents) that may arise from the hosting of an event taking place in Carbis Bay.”
Residents living near the meeting venue will have to show two forms of ID to be allowed past check points.
Police will not say how many armed officers are being deployed in total but all will be armed with Heckler & Koch carbines that can fire 750 rounds a minute and are equipped with Kevlar body armour.
President Biden himself will be guarded by a team housed in 50 luxury recreational vehicles around the hotel grounds.
Chevrolet Suburbans with police lights will carry the president’s Secret Service detail. One – the Halfback – follows the Beast and its decoy and carries the president’s security detail.
