Secret Service Urged Trump To Fly Old Air Force One From Turkey Over Qatari Jet

President Donald Trump flew partway home from a NATO summit in Turkey on an older Air Force One instead of the new Qatari-gifted and retrofitted jet, with the swap occurring as the U.S. and Iran once again began trading strikes.

“Secret Service urged Trump to depart Turkey on old Air Force One as a security precaution, sources say Trump told reporters the switch had nothing to do with security concerns”

ABC News

The Secret Service urged Trump to depart Turkey on the older Boeing VC-25A, and ABC News reported the Qatari-gifted plane left the NATO summit in Turkey for Mildenhall Air Force Base in England while Trump said the move was for members of the military to tour the aircraft.

ABC News

Trump told reporters he was taking the older plane “for old time’s sake,” and NPR said he indicated both aircraft would make a previously unscheduled stop on the way back to the United States at Royal Air Force Mildenhall.

In a statement carried by ABC News, White House communications director Steven Cheung said the new Air Force One is “a state-of-the-art aircraft that has been fitted with high-level security protocols that ensure the safety of the president and his staff.”

NPR reported that Trump denied security concerns were a factor in flying two planes home, while also saying, “I have a threat all the time. I’m No. 1 on their list.”

While Trump denied any security concern prompted the switch, ABC News reported that the Secret Service urged the departure on the older plane “as a security precaution” amid the escalation with Iran.

The Independent said Trump explained he was taking the older plane home “for old time’s sake” while the $400 million jet tours an air force base housing U.S. troops, and it also reported that Trump denied there was a potential security concern that could have caused the switch.

CBS News

Trump told reporters, “Because you’re probably on a dangerous flight,” and The Independent said he seemed to allude to perceived threats from Iran when asked why journalists were told to close their window blinds.

CNN reported that officials said the decision was driven at least in part by security concerns around the escalating conflict in Iran, with two officials saying security personnel felt more comfortable with the president aboard the older vessel.

In a separate account, the South China Morning Post said the New York Times reported the new plane lacked the same security countermeasures boasted by the older jet, including anti-missile defences, and it said Trump referred to alleged Iranian assassination attempts after switching back to the new plane.

The dispute over the Qatar-gifted aircraft’s readiness has fed questions about whether the retrofitted jet was upgraded sufficiently for presidential travel, with the Independent noting it was not equipped with at least some of the same missile detection and countermeasures systems as its predecessor.

“President Donald Trump’s decision to depart Turkey on an older plane while sending his new, Qatari-gifted jet ahead to England was driven at least in part by security concerns around the escalating conflict in Iran, according to four US officials”

CNN

The Hill quoted military aviation consultant Richard Aboulafia saying, “We can’t say for sure because, of course, a lot of the systems and capabilities are classified,” while also arguing that it “takes a lot more time and money” than was put into the plane to reach typical Air Force One capability.

ABC News reported that passengers on the older Air Force One were instructed to keep their windows down during the flight, and it said the plane carrying the president did not turn on its tracker until it was over the Black Sea near Istanbul.

The Hill also reported that L3Harris Technologies, a Florida-based defense contractor, was in charge of retrofitting the Qatari plane in less than 10 months with around 400 employees, and it said the process involves installing sophisticated communications gear and defensive equipment.

As the aircraft swap continued to draw scrutiny, the White House communications director Steven Cheung reiterated that the new Air Force One is “safe, secure and equipped with the most advanced technologies necessary to meet the requirements of the presidential mission,” while Trump maintained he was “No. 1 on the kill list for Iran.”