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“Maxed out” upgrade plan
President Donald Trump said Sunday that the Qatari-gifted jet that has served as Air Force One will be sent for upgrades, appearing to confirm security concerns about its defensive capabilities.
Trump told reporters at Joint Base Andrews, “It has a lot of capability but, as I understand it, in about a month or so they’re going to send it to have it be maxed out,” and added, “It’ll take about a month.”
The White House said Monday that Trump will return to an older Air Force One for about a month while the new, Qatari-gifted jet undergoes “additional upgrades and enhancements,” with press secretary Karoline Leavitt saying the new plane is “perfectly safe for the President’s travels.”
ABC News reported the 747-8 took its first flight with Trump on July 1, and said Trump’s comment followed a reporter’s question about claims that the plane lacks “antimissile defense systems.”
Old plane used during scrutiny
White House communications said Trump would fly on the old Air Force One during the upgrade period, after scrutiny of the new aircraft’s security features and its foreign donation.
Karoline Leavitt told CBS, “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,” and said, “During that time, the President will fly on the old Air Force One.”
NBC4 Washington reported that Trump’s use of the new red, white and navy blue aircraft has faced scrutiny because it appears not to be equipped with some of the same missile detection and countermeasure systems as older jets.
ABC News said the Secret Service urged Trump to take the older Air Force One as a precaution when he traveled to the NATO summit in Turkey, and it reported that the new jet later carried Trump to the summit after its first operational flight on July 1.
Investigations and classified details
The dispute over the new Air Force One’s security features has also triggered legal and investigative actions tied to reporting by The New York Times.
“New Air Force One jet to be 'maxed out,' Trump says, after security concerns raised The 747-8 took its first flight with President Donald Trump on board on July 1”
WTOP said the New York Times, which first reported on the security issues with the plane, said that four of its reporters were subpoenaed by the government, and it added that Chief of staff Susie Wiles and FBI Director Kash Patel were personally involved in efforts to investigate who talked to reporters.
The Washington Post said the FBI opened an investigation of the New York Times and issued subpoenas to several reporters after reporting cited sources who said the aircraft lacked defensive countermeasures, including advanced antimissile capabilities.
ABC News reported that many details of the retrofitting on the new plane are considered classified, while also saying the Qatari royal family’s donation of the luxury jet was valued at approximately $400 million and raised questions from lawmakers and ethics experts.
