Overview
- President Donald Trump confirmed on Sunday that the Boeing 747‑8 donated by Qatar will be taken out of service in about a month for a roughly monthlong effort to “max out” its security features.
- The jet was fast‑refitted by L3Harris to serve as a temporary Air Force One and entered service on July 1, but the president switched to an older VC‑25 for part of a NATO return flight on July 8 after security questions surfaced.
- Reporting showed the Qatari plane lacks some defensive systems carried by the older presidential jets, including certain anti‑missile countermeasures and in‑flight refueling capability, prompting the planned upgrades.
- Security experts and former officials say a one‑month window will likely allow software changes, electronic jammers, flares or chaff but is probably too short to install full kinetic systems that require extensive testing.
- The case has sparked legal and oversight battles: the DOJ has subpoenaed New York Times journalists who reported the gaps, Congress is probing costs and funding, and ethics questions persist over accepting a high‑value foreign gift.