President Donald Trump says his Qatari-donated Boeing 747-8 will be taken out of service for about a month to be “maxed out” with additional upgrades. The obvious question is what can realistically be added so quickly, especially to an aircraft Trump ultimately intends to take with him when he leaves office.
Trump’s New Air Force One Will Be Grounded For More Security Upgrades
President Donald Trump has acknowledged that his new Air Force One is not yet fully equipped for the most sensitive presidential missions. The former Qatari Boeing 747-8, which entered service as Air Force One earlier this month, will be taken offline for approximately one month while additional upgrades and enhancements are completed.
Trump told reporters:
“In about a month or so, they’re going to send it to have it be maxed out. So they’re going to be sending it, and they’ll have it be maxed out.”
The White House has not offered a detailed list of what “maxed out” means, but the timing is notable.
As I discussed last week, Trump unexpectedly switched to one of the older VC-25A aircraft after attending the NATO summit in Turkey. The official explanation was that he wanted American troops in the United Kingdom to tour the new aircraft. Subsequent reporting indicated that security concerns were the real reason for the swap.
The Qatari 747 was rapidly converted for presidential service, but it reportedly lacks some of the missile-warning, defensive countermeasure, and hardened communications capabilities found on the purpose-built aircraft that have served as Air Force One for decades.
Now it is heading back into the shop.
What Security Upgrades Are Likely Being Added?
The government will understandably not publish a detailed list of the defensive systems on Air Force One. Still, aviation and defense experts have identified several areas in which the Qatari aircraft appears to fall short of the older presidential jets.
Likely upgrades could include improved sensors for detecting missile launches, infrared countermeasures intended to confuse heat-seeking missiles, electronic jamming equipment, and dispensers for defensive material such as chaff or flares.
The aircraft may also receive additional secure communications equipment and systems intended to protect sensitive electronics.
But one month is not much time.
A true VC-25 aircraft is not simply a luxurious 747 with a secure telephone and some defensive equipment bolted onto it. It is extensively modified and hardened from the beginning, with redundant communications, specialized electrical architecture, protection against electromagnetic effects, and the ability to function as an airborne command center during a national emergency.
Those are not changes that can simply be installed during a routine maintenance visit, even over several weeks. Therefore, I suspect this next round of work will focus on the most urgent defensive gaps rather than transforming the Qatari aircraft into the functional equivalent of the older VC-25As (the same reason why the Boeing order for two new Air Force One jets has been delayed for years).
The jet may become safer for international travel in higher-threat environments, but will still fall short of the “specs” for Air Force One.
The Rush To Put This Aircraft Into Service Was The Problem
This latest grounding reinforces the central problem with the project. The aircraft was rushed into service because Trump wanted a newer, more attractive airplane while Boeing’s two VC-25B aircraft remain years behind schedule.
That frustration is understandable. The existing presidential 747s entered service more than three decades ago, while Boeing’s replacement program has suffered extraordinary delays and cost overruns.
But can we agree that presidential transportation should not be driven by aesthetics or impatience?
The Qatari aircraft was ready quickly because the government did not attempt to reproduce every capability of the existing fleet. That may have been an acceptable compromise for domestic travel and lower-risk missions, but the Turkey episode demonstrated the limitations of that approach.
If the Secret Service or other security officials believe the older aircraft is safer when threats are elevated, then the new jet should probably not be used at all.
Taxpayers Are Upgrading A Plane Trump Intends To Keep
There is also an increasingly awkward question surrounding who ultimately benefits from all this work.
The aircraft was donated to the U.S. government for use during Trump’s presidency, but the stated plan is for it to be transferred to the Trump Presidential Library Foundation shortly before he leaves office.
The official explanation is that it will eventually become a museum exhibit, much like retired presidential aircraft displayed at presidential libraries.
Perhaps it will.
But I would not be surprised if Trump continues flying it.
He already owns a heavily customized Boeing 757-200, which has long served as both transportation and a flying symbol of the Trump brand. I have previously written about the restoration of that aircraft and his interest in keeping it in service.
The 747 would be a natural, if extravagant, successor.
It is newer, dramatically larger, already painted in Trump’s preferred red, white, dark blue, and gold livery, and equipped with a lavish interior. After taxpayers fund communications and security improvements, it will also be far more capable than an ordinary private aircraft.
My guess is that once Trump leaves office, this 747 will not simply be parked permanently beside a gift shop…
It may technically belong to a presidential library foundation, but I can easily imagine it continuing to transport Trump to rallies, political events, business engagements, and international appearances, replacing or supplementing his 757.
There is a legitimate public purpose in protecting a sitting president. But the more money spent upgrading an aircraft that may eventually become part of Trump’s post-presidential transportation fleet, the more this arrangement begins to look like a public subsidy for an extraordinary private asset…we’ll see.
CONCLUSION
Trump’s new Air Force One will be grounded for about a month while it receives further upgrades, likely aimed at addressing some of the defensive and communications gaps exposed during its first international trip.
That work may make the aircraft safer, but it cannot turn a hastily converted VIP 747 into the full equivalent of a made-from-scratch VC-25 in only a few weeks.
The strangest part remains the aircraft’s future.
American taxpayers are paying to upgrade and protect a jet that Trump intends to take with him when he leaves office in less than three years. Officially, it will become part of his presidential library. My guess is that it may also become the replacement for his aging Boeing 757 and continue flying long after it is no longer called Air Force One.
image: White House
A true ‘golden age’ we are living in… *explosive diarrhea*
You’ve provided me with tremendously valuable information over the years. And I’m enjoying your latest trip report series.
But, Air Force One, no matter the President, has nothing to do with travel other than its an airplane. The posts perceived as “political” are getting old.
Steve, the answer to speech you don’t like is more speech, not demanding Matt or anyone else ‘self-censor.’ Simply ignore the posts you don’t like. Or, engage with them. Express yourself. Debate. Live a little… no, wait… live… and let’s fly.
I can’t help but read this post and see the early signs of TDS creeping in. There’s an awful lot of speculation about Trump’s motives being presented around a fairly straightforward story about security upgrades.
EX – “After taxpayers fund communications and security improvements, it will also be far more capable than an ordinary private aircraft” Unless you think he’s planning on waging a nuclear war as a private citizen, that’s just silly statement, lol
Did you forget the part about the excessive corruption associated with this ‘gift’ from Qatar? Oh, yeah, how convenient that you willfully ignored that. Do you need a refresher, or will you and your friends just say ‘TDS’ or ‘fake news!’ for the 10,000th time?
“TDS” is just the default response when they cant defend something their hero does.
It also shows how deeply uncreative trump’s minions are. It is a ripoff of the more original “ODS” or Obama Derangement Syndrome that was coined to describe those same people losing their minds when Obama did something so egregious as use Grey Poupon on his sandwich
Well aware, friend. And, if it isn’t ‘TDS’ or ‘fake news,’ it’ll be ‘DEI’ or calling everyone a ‘communist,’ none of which is meant to be taken as an argument of substance; it’s performative signaling to their friends (I’m one of you! Look! I can repeat the Big Lie, too! He won 2020! Third term! He was right about everything! Price of eggs! And, so on, and so on…)
TDS isn’t a real thing. It’s made up gobbledygook.
I want Trump safe. I don’t want his status raised to martyr. The Qatari jet is just another scam. The paint, the gold, didn’t make it fit for his service. He probably cannot comprehend this and the embarrassment to the American people.
Although we all who read about it think it’s funny, most Americans probably aren’t paying enough attention to be put off by it. It’s just a shiny fancy plane.
A toy for the child
So, like, could we have just gotten Trump some LEGO or something? Gosh, that’d’ve been a lot easier.
Maybe golden ones?
Like Maryland, I don’t want any harm to come to the POTUS. I don’t think it is “TDS” to question this whole project, though, considering Trump has said the plane will be going with him in 2029. Are his supporters good with that?
Matt, based on the regular MAGAs in your comments, the answer appears to be: They don’t care what he does; nothing is off limits. He literally could shoot someone on Fifth Avenue (and I think they’re mostly okay with that because they do not believe themselves, personally, to be the victim in that shooting). To the n-th degree, the real question, would they be okay with him causing nuclear armageddon (which would most certainly directly affect their own lives)?