President Trump swapped Air Force One planes while departing Turkey in early July, flying home aboard the older, more heavily armored presidential aircraft instead of his new Qatari-gifted Boeing 747-8 due to security concerns amid heightened Iran tensions.
The Secret Service urged Trump to make the switch as he left the NATO summit in Turkey on July 8, according to law enforcement officials and people familiar with the internal discussions. Two U.S. officials told ABC News the change was not prompted by any specific threat but reflected differences in the aircraft’s security capabilities.
The new Qatari-donated jet lacks critical defensive systems found on the older Air Force One model. Specifically, the older aircraft includes laser technology and other countermeasures designed to defeat heat-seeking missiles—defensive capabilities absent from the newer Boeing 747-8. Trump later acknowledged the gap, saying the new plane would be taken offline to have its antimissile defense systems “maxed out,” according to reporting from July 20.
The timing of the swap coincided with Israeli intelligence warnings to the United States about a potential Iranian assassination plot targeting Trump. Israel shared new intelligence with the U.S. that Iran had recently devised a specific plan to kill the president, according to sources cited by CNN and the Wall Street Journal. One source said the warning came during the week of the NATO summit, while another noted the U.S. had picked up a steady drumbeat of intelligence in recent weeks about possible plans to assassinate Trump.
Trump confirmed the broader threat environment, telling reporters aboard Air Force One that he was on Iran’s “kill list.” He said he had learned of a new ranking that placed him as Iran’s top assassination target. The U.S. government has long warned that Iran may attempt to kill Trump in retaliation for the 2020 drone strike he ordered that killed Qasem Soleimani, a top Iranian general.
Some U.S. officials and intelligence community members expressed skepticism about the timing and intent of the Israeli warning, with one source suggesting it could be part of a broader Israeli effort to influence Trump’s decision-making on Iran policy. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has voiced deep doubts about Trump’s diplomatic efforts with Iran and had clashed with Trump over Israeli military action in Lebanon.
Trump denied that security concerns drove the plane swap, instead claiming he switched aircraft to let personnel at the air base tour the new jet. However, his public comments acknowledging the new plane’s defensive gaps and subsequent decision to ground it for upgrades contradicted that narrative. The Qatari-gifted aircraft, which cost $400 million to retrofit, was developed as a replacement for the aging VC-25 model that has served as Air Force One for decades.
The incident highlighted vulnerability concerns about presidential aircraft in an era of escalating U.S.-Iran hostilities. Trump has threatened Iranian bridges and power plants as U.S. strikes continue, while the Senate blocked a war powers resolution as the House voted to limit Trump’s Iran war authority. The broader context includes the Secret Service reporting that threats against Trump remain at heightened levels.
Sources
- Wall Street Journal — Trump flew home from Turkey on an older Air Force One due to lack of defensive capabilities on his new jet and an Israeli warning about a possible threat
- NBC News — The Secret Service urged Trump to fly on the previous presidential aircraft out of Turkey instead of the new Qatari-gifted plane
- CNN — Israel shared intelligence with the U.S. that Iran had recently devised a new plan to assassinate President Trump
- USA Today — Trump took the old Air Force One from Turkey instead of the new plane gifted by Qatar as a security precaution amid hostilities
- ABC News — Two U.S. officials said the change was not prompted by any specific threat but reflected differences in the aircrafts’ security capabilities
