Trump says Qatar-gifted Air Force One will be taken out of service for upgrades

US President Donald Trump said the Boeing 747-8 donated by Qatar will temporarily be taken out of service for another round of upgrades, just weeks after it began carrying him on official trips.

Trump said on July 19, 2026, that the aircraft would undergo the additional work in about a month.

“It has a lot of capability,” Trump told reporters. “But as I understand it, in about a month or so, they’re going to send it to have it be maxed out.”

Trump said the work would take about one month to complete. He did not identify the systems that would be installed or modified, and the US Air Force has not publicly detailed the planned upgrades.

His comments came in response to a question about whether the aircraft lacked some of the missile-defense systems carried by the two older Boeing VC-25A aircraft that traditionally serve as Air Force One.

Trump began using the former Qatari aircraft on July 1 following an expedited modification program led by L3Harris Technologies. Any US Air Force aircraft carrying the president uses the Air Force One call sign.

Questions about the aircraft’s defensive capabilities intensified after Trump traveled to a NATO summit in Ankara earlier in July.

The Qatar-gifted 747 carried Trump to Turkey, but he departed Ankara on July 8 aboard one of the older VC-25As as tensions with Iran increased. He later transferred to the newer aircraft at RAF Mildenhall in the United Kingdom for the flight back to Washington.

Trump said at the time that he wanted troops at the British base to see the new aircraft and denied that security concerns prompted the switch.

The Air Force has not disclosed the defensive systems installed on the Qatar-donated jet.

The service announced on May 1 that the aircraft had completed modification and flight testing. It described the jet as a temporary bridge aircraft that would support presidential travel until Boeing delivers two new VC-25Bs.

The Air Force said the accelerated program focused on the capabilities needed to transport the president safely and securely. It also developed procedures with other government agencies to identify and address technical risks associated with converting a previously owned aircraft for presidential use.

The aircraft arrived at Joint Base Andrews in June for commissioning flights and final mission validation before entering presidential service.

Qatar donated the 13-year-old aircraft to the US government in 2025 after delays continued to affect Boeing’s VC-25B replacement program. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth formally accepted the jet on behalf of the Air Force.

The two permanent VC-25Bs now in production stem from a $3.9 billion contract awarded to Boeing in 2018. Their delivery has slipped several years and is now expected in 2028.The post Trump says Qatar-gifted Air Force One will be taken out of service for upgrades appeared first on AeroTime.

Go to Source