Trump Pushes Rapid Upgrades to Qatar-Donated Air Force One Jet

President Donald Trump announced that the Boeing 747-800 jet gifted by Qatar will be “maxed out” with additional defensive capabilities within roughly a month. He made the comment after returning to Washington from New Jersey aboard the aircraft, noting that the upgrades would bring the plane up to the standards of the older Air Force One fleet. The specific systems to be added were not detailed, and a White House spokesman did not immediately clarify the timeline or scope of the work.

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Qatar transferred the $400 million jet to the U.S. military last year, and the military completed an initial retrofit that took a little over a year. The work installed basic communications equipment and limited self-protection, serving as a “bridge” until Boeing delivers two newly designed 747s slated for 2028.

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The administration has repeatedly dismissed legal, ethical, and national-security questions surrounding the acceptance and use of the gifted aircraft.

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• “The amount of time they originally had was useful for scanning for security weaknesses and installing some basic equipment for communications and some limited level of self-protection,” — Richard Aboulafia, a managing director at AeroDynamic Advisory

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• “This is the most complex twin aisle aircraft we have ever done,” — Boeing’s CEO Kelly Ortberg, boeing’s CEO

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