FARNBOROUGH- A Boeing 747-8 donated by Qatar to serve as an interim Air Force One will be pulled from service for further upgrades, just weeks after its international debut, President Donald Trump said.
The jet, gifted last year by the Qatari royal family and flown by the US Air Force from Joint Base Andrews (ADW), will spend about a month undergoing what Trump described as a “maxed out” overhaul.
The decision follows reports that the jumbo jet, rapidly converted by defense contractor L3Harris, lacked security systems standard for carrying the US president. Speaking at the Farnborough air show this week, lawmakers split along party lines over whether the pause signals a problem or responsible caution.
Why Flying White House Is Heading Back to the Shop
Trump spoke to reporters on Sunday at Joint Base Andrews after returning from the FIFA World Cup final in New Jersey, according to Reuters.
Asked about the newly renovated plane’s missile-defense capability, he pointed to further work ahead. “It has a lot of capability,” he said. “But as I understand it, in about a month or so, they’re gonna send it to have it be maxed out.”
The president said the work would “take about a month,” but did not describe what it would involve. The aircraft, designated the VC-25B Bridge by the Air Force and labeled the “VC-25 Bridge Aircraft” by the Trump administration, was accepted by the US government last year.
It is meant to ease strain on the aging VC-25A fleet, a pair of Boeing 747-200s that have flown as Air Force One since 1990.
Security Gaps That Triggered Review
On July 9, the New York Times reported that the aircraft lacked anti-missile countermeasures standard for flying the president and a large group of security staff and other passengers.
The report drew a sharp response from the administration, which hand-delivered subpoenas to Times journalists demanding they testify about their sources.
L3Harris led the security upgrades in a 10-month sprint. That compressed timeline drew skepticism from lawmakers and experts, who questioned whether certain protections had been traded away to meet the schedule.
Lawmakers Divided on the Pause
Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., a defense appropriator and member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said the concerns were known early.
“We knew there were some issues around security with the plane. We’ve known that from the very beginning. Obviously, there was an effort to address that,” she said this morning during a media roundtable at the Farnborough airshow.
Shaheen has pushed for a hearing on the jet. “I have, I think, in the past, called for a hearing on to make sure that this is a plane that’s safe, that [it] provides protection for our president, and I would hope that we would continue to move in that direction so that the public is reassured that the protection is going to be there,” she added.
Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kan., who also sits on the defense appropriations subcommittee, framed the decision as reassuring. He called it “a positive,” arguing it shows stakeholders are working to secure the plane.
“If there … was an examination and a problem apparently was determined to exist, the good news is that it’s apparently going to be addressed,” he said. “And I think it’s important for all of us to determine what that problem is and to be supportive of corrective measures.”
Contractor Voices Confidence
The Air Force and L3Harris did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the added upgrades.
When the aircraft entered service earlier this month, timed to America’s 250th anniversary, L3Harris executive Jason Lambert told Breaking Defense that he had “the utmost confidence that the aircraft is ready to perform the mission as Air Force One.”
Trump’s Aircraft Swap Amid Iran Tensions
After flying the jet to the NATO summit in the Turkish capital of Ankara (ESB) on July 7, Trump left the region on an older Air Force One model as friction with Iran grew.
The bridge jet then flew on to RAF Mildenhall in England, where deployed US personnel were given a chance to tour it, while Trump followed separately aboard a VC-25A. Journalists on the older aircraft were told to close their window blinds.
Trump denied that security fears drove the swap, but appeared to reference Iranian threats when asked about the blinds, reportedly citing “sleazebags over here.” He later reunited with the Bridge jet in the United Kingdom and returned home aboard it.
Cost and Wider Air Force One Program
Air Force Secretary Troy Meink testified before Congress last year that the Qatari jet modifications would cost taxpayers “less than $400 million.” The service says the added aircraft will “relieve pressure” on the current VC-25A pair.
The bridge jet is slated to transfer to Trump’s future presidential library foundation before he leaves office, an arrangement critics have questioned on ethics and constitutional grounds.
Boeing is separately building two new VC-25B aircraft for the Air Force One mission under a contract signed during the first Trump administration.
Technical and workforce problems have delayed the first jet by roughly four years, now projected for around 2028, drawing repeated criticism from the president.
Steve Parker, head of Boeing’s defense division, said Sunday the company expected to take further losses on the fixed-price deal, which has already driven about $2.8 billion in charges to date.
After a personal sign-off from Trump, the Qatari jet was painted in a red, white and blue livery, replacing the baby blue scheme used since the Kennedy administration.
Stay tuned with us. Further, follow us on social media for the latest updates.
Join us on Telegram Group for the Latest Aviation Updates. Subsequently, follow us on Google News
