US President Donald Trump confirmed the Boeing 747-8 jet donated by Qatar lacks the defensive and anti-missile systems typical of standard Air Force One planes. He said the aircraft will be grounded for about a month to be "maxed out" with these security features before regular use resumes [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11].
Trump first flew aboard the Qatari-donated plane on July 1, 2026, marking its initial use as a presidential aircraft [1, 2, 4, 9]. However, during his trip to the NATO summit in Ankara from July 8-10, he returned to the UK on an older Air Force One jet amid security concerns stemming from the newer plane's limited defenses [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10].
The donated plane underwent a rapid, costly retrofit to serve as a temporary presidential jet while Boeing's new Air Force One planes, delayed multiple times, are expected for delivery by mid-2028 [1, 2, 3, 5, 9, 10]. Critics and ethics watchdogs have raised questions about accepting a foreign government's gift valued near $400 million, citing security and propriety issues [1, 2, 3, 5, 9].
New York Times reporters who reported on the plane's unprotected features faced subpoenas by the Trump administration, triggering legal challenges aimed at source protection [1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10].
Trump described the donated jet as sporting an unusual red, white, and navy blue livery, differing from the traditional white and light blue Air Force One scheme [1, 2, 3, 10]. He emphasized the planned upgrades: "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. It’ll take about a month," he said [1, 2, 3, 5].
The upgrade will focus on equipping the plane with necessary defensive and anti-missile systems currently missing, though specific details have not been publicly disclosed [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11]. The temporary use of the Qatari-donated jet will continue until Boeing delivers the new Air Force One planes, expected by mid-2028 [2, 10].
