Overview
- The Air Force said the former Qatari 747, now getting a red, white and blue paint job, will be ready to carry the president this summer as an interim aircraft until new jets are delivered in 2028.
- A Wall Street Journal account reported a $400 million refit that focused on secure, classified communications so the president can direct government business from the air.
- Many luxury fittings from its royal past remain, with Arabic exit signs and artwork removed and U.S. seals added, leaving a cabin described as more lavish than the current Air Force One.
- Design choices to speed delivery mean there is no walled press cabin, only a heavy curtain, and the jet cannot fly “Golden Eagle” missions that carry a former president’s remains because it lacks enlarged rear doors.
- Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth accepted the gift last year despite ethics and security questions, and Trump says the plane saves taxpayers and will later go to a presidential library.