Obama arriving in the UK with 'The Beast'

London, Mar.31 (ANI): When US President Barack Obama touches down in London tonight, he will be cruising the British capital's streets in the limo dubbed "The Beast".According to Sky News, "The Beast", a 250,000 pound vehicle, is equipped with rocket-propelled grenades, a night-vision camera and pump-action shotguns to destroy would-be attackers.

"The Beast's" titanium superstructure is capable of shielding the president from a chemical weapons attack. Its sealed interior forms an impregnable "panic room" if the vehicle is attacked.

The car contains a tear-gas cannon, oxygen tanks and bottles of the president's AB blood. It can drive at speeds of more than 60 mph with punctured tyres.

The five-inch rocket proof glass is so thick that Obama needs flourescent light to read in the darkness

He will land in London with an entourage of 500 - including 200 secret service staff and a medical team carrying pints of his own blood type.

Obama will use a plane, a helicopter and the limousine and be followed by a fleet of ambulances and decoy vehicles.

Manholes in city roads have been bolted down, bins removed and British security snipers placed in tall buildings across the city.Obama is due to touch down at Stansted Airport at 8 p.m. local time aboard the presidential aircraft Air Force One.

The Boeing 747-200B has its own gym and a presidential suite, complete with a small dining room.

Among officials on the flight will be a military officer carrying America's nuclear missile launch codes. Should he need to, Obama can launch a nuclear strike from the craft.

The plane - which can travel at speeds of 630 mph - is fitted with armour-plated wings able to withstand a nuclear blast from the ground and flares to confuse enemy missiles. It has 85 telephones and 19 televisions.

From Stansted the president will be flown to the US ambassador's residence in Regent's Park, London.

He arrives there in a VH-3D helicopter known as Marine One that will fly across London alongside a group of identical decoy aircraft.

While in London the president's 200 secret servicemen will watch over him - conspicuous with their shirt-cuff radios, dark suits and Ray-Ban sunglasses.Also among the 500-strong entourage will be his 6ft 5in personal aide Reggie Love. Love works out with the president and watches sport with him back at his hotel suite.

He will be trusted to keep the president supplied with chewing gum - which he chews to beat his old cigarette habit.

A selection of iced teas will keep the president refreshed in his various modes of transport.

His wife Michelle will have eight of her own staff, including a secretary, a press officer and bodyguards.

Obama will meet with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown one-to-one on Wednesday as well as holding meetings with Russian president Dmitry Medvedev and Chinese president Hu Jintao.

He will also meet the Queen at Buckingham Palace on Wednesday afternoon in what is seen as the formal showpiece of the packed working schedule.

Security teams have swept venues the Obamas will visit for electronic bugs, food has been tested for poison and even the air quality has been measured for bacteria.

Security experts say the threat of an attack against Obama is high. (ANI)