Overview
- Trump told reporters on Sunday that the Qatar-donated Boeing 747-8 currently serving as a temporary Air Force One will be sent for upgrades in about a month and that work should make it “equipped to the maximum.”
- News reporting has said the quickly refurbished jet lacks some defensive countermeasures found on older presidential planes, including reported antimissile systems and other hardened communications and wiring protections.
- The announcement follows an aggressive White House leak probe that led to unusually fast, hand-delivered FBI subpoenas to New York Times reporters and internal requests for officials’ phones.
- Security staff reportedly preferred the older, purpose-built VC-25A jets for international trips because those aircraft were built with missile countermeasures, EMP-hardened systems, in-flight refueling and onboard medical command functions.
- The donated plane, valued in reporting at about $400 million and accepted as a temporary “bridge” while Boeing-built replacements are delayed, raises procurement and security questions about how quickly retrofit work can meet full presidential standards.