President Donald Trump announced that Air Force One, the Boeing 747-8 gifted by Qatar, will be grounded for approximately one month beginning in the fall for security upgrades, according to statements made on July 20.
The Qatari-donated aircraft, which took its first flight with Trump on July 1, has faced scrutiny over its defensive capabilities. The New York Times reported in early July that the new Air Force One lacks the same anti-missile systems that were standard on the previous VC-25 presidential aircraft, which included infrared countermeasures designed to defeat heat-seeking missiles.
Trump’s decision to ground the plane follows a July 8 incident in which the Secret Service urged him to switch to the older Air Force One while departing from the NATO summit in Turkey, citing security concerns as tensions with Iran escalated. “The Secret Service urged the president to take the older Air Force One jet as a precaution, due in part for the differences in security capabilities,” according to ABC News reporting from that time.
Expert Skepticism on Upgrade Timeline
Defense experts have questioned whether one month is realistic for meaningful improvements. Douglas Birkey, executive director of the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies, told Reuters that the aircraft was likely configured for “neutral or low-level” threat environments and that the work completed in a month would be limited to non-kinetic systems such as electronic jammers, infrared “dazzler” devices designed to confuse heat-seeking missiles, and possibly chaff—metallic strips released to scatter radar signals.
“There’s not a whole lot they can do in one month,” said Mark Cancian, a senior adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. He agreed the work may be confined to software updates or additions such as flares or chaff, according to Reuters.
White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said on July 21 that “the new Air Force One is perfectly safe for the President’s travels, but will receive additional upgrades and enhancements in the fall which will take approximately one month to complete. During that time, the President will fly on the old Air Force One.”
Background on the Qatari Aircraft
The Boeing 747-8 was donated by the Qatari royal family in an unprecedented foreign gift valued at approximately $400 million. The aircraft was retrofitted by defense contractor L3Harris Technologies to serve as a temporary replacement while Boeing delivers the next-generation VC-25B presidential aircraft, which have faced years of delays.
The Air Force has been modifying the jet in Texas since September to meet security, communications, and other presidential transport needs. The U.S. Air Force originally estimated the retrofit would cost less than $400 million, though exact spending figures remain unclear as many details are classified.
Democrats in Congress have questioned the accelerated timeline for bringing the aircraft into service. Senator Jeanne Shaheen said at the Farnborough Airshow that “Congress needs to examine the plane’s safety. We knew there were some issues around security with the plane. We’ve known that from the very beginning.”
Sources
- Reuters — Expert analysis on security upgrade capabilities and timeline feasibility
- ABC News — Trump’s announcement of upgrades and Secret Service decision in Turkey
- The New York Times — Reporting on lack of defensive countermeasures on new Air Force One
- White House statement via Reuters — Official confirmation of upgrade timeline and presidential aircraft usage during maintenance
