Overview
- President Trump switched from the newly retrofitted Qatari‑donated Boeing 747‑8 to the older VC‑25A on the return leg from the NATO summit, a change reported to have occurred on Wednesday and carried out after the two planes met at RAF Mildenhall.
- Multiple outlets reported that the U.S. Secret Service urged the swap as a precaution because the donated 747‑8 lacks some classified defensive systems found on the long‑serving Air Force One, including advanced anti‑missile countermeasures and other high‑end mission sets.
- The White House has denied a security shortfall and called the move tactical misdirection, while President Trump said he switched planes to let service members tour the new jet and for nostalgia.
- Officials and former Air Force leaders say the jet was retrofitted on an accelerated timeline in Texas at roughly a year’s pace and about $400 million in U.S. work, a schedule that likely required tradeoffs on complex structural and defensive installations.
- Lawmakers, watchdogs and former security officials are pressing for public answers about which systems were deferred, intelligence reporting remains limited and uncorroborated in places, and the episode could trigger congressional oversight of the retrofit and rules for foreign donations.