Air Force One Issues

DaisyDay · Jul 9, 2026

https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5960254-secret-service-advised-trump-to-not-fly-qatari-gifted-air-force-one/

The Secret Service advised President Trump not to leave the NATO Summit in Turkey on the newer Qatari-gifted Air Force One, according to a Wednesday report.

Sources familiar with the matter said the president flew out of Ankara on the older Air Force One out of an abundance of caution for a potential threat from Iran, although no threats were explicitly identified, The New York Times reported.

Why would the ~~old~~ brand spanking new and very expensive Air Force One be less secure than one it replaces being newer and more recently renovated?

Original Jet Thread -> Trump accepts 400 million dollar bribe.

Tinker Grey · Jul 9, 2026

DaisyDay said:
Why would the old Air Force One be less secure being newer and more recently renovated?

Did you mean more secure?

The old AFO has a lot of tech ... that can not be instantiated on the new one in just one year.

wing2000 · Jul 9, 2026

DaisyDay said:
Why would the old Air Force One be less secure being newer and more recently renovated?

...b/c the POTUS wanted to fly on it now.

He changed his tune when he learned he was #1 on Iran's target list....a point he made repeatedly yesterday when challenged by reporters.

Desk trauma · Jul 9, 2026

Tinker Grey said:
The old AFO has a lot of tech

Also, it was purpose built in the US and was never in the possession of a foreign government.

wing2000 · Jul 9, 2026

...which begs the question: Why did he fly the new AF1 to Turkey (or any other Intl destination)?
I'll bet the Secret Service objected to the idea...but were over ruled. Likely, someone reminded Trump of his target list status...and proximity to Iran. Iran probably has sleeper cells in Ankara....

Safer to restrict to a Mar-a-lago gulf trip duty.

Tinker Grey · Jul 9, 2026

Desk trauma said:
Also, it was purpose built in the US and was never in the possession of a foreign government.

Yes, that too. My wife suggested that the new one might be full of bugs...but it would a pretty poor defense contractor that didn't sweep for such things.

Desk trauma · Jul 9, 2026

Tinker Grey said:
but it would a pretty poor defense contractor that didn't sweep for such things.

Such a contractor would also likely be the lowest bidder so…

Tinker Grey · Jul 9, 2026

Desk trauma said:
Such a contractor would also likely be the lowest bidder so…

L3/L3Harris has a long history with AF1. (Source: me, I used to work for L3.) Bidding wouldn't be the issue. The issue would be nonsense time-constraints.

wing2000 · Jul 9, 2026

Tinker Grey said:
Yes, that too. My wife suggested that the new one might be full of bugs...but it would a pretty poor defense contractor that didn't sweep for such things.

...Trump switched back to the newer AF1 in England, for the trip home.

When Mr. Trump departed Ankara, he boarded the old aircraft unusually quickly, before the journalists traveling with him could watch or photograph him ascending the steps, as they typically do. Passengers on board were also instructed to pull their window shades down before takeoff.

The plane landed at Mildenhall late Wednesday night, and then the president switched to the new jet to return to Washington.

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/08/us/politics/trump-air-force-one-security.html

....the departure from Ankara was the concern.....departing jets are vulnerable...

DaisyDay · Jul 9, 2026

Tinker Grey said:
Did you mean more secure?

The old AFO has a lot of tech ... that can not be instantiated on the new one in just one year.

Man, I wrote that badly. Edited.

Pommer · Jul 9, 2026

Desk trauma said:
Such a contractor would also likely be the lowest bidder so…

“I know a guy…”

essentialsaltes · Jul 9, 2026

How L3Harris transformed a Qatari 747 into a new Air Force One plane before July 4

L3Harris modified the jet in 10 months, with 400 employees working 24/7 to deliver the plane by a July 4 deadline, the head of the company's ISR division said.

L3Harris was tasked to modify the Qatari jet by the July 4 deadline, resulting in a team of about 400 employees working 24/7 to deliver the plane in 10 months, Jason Lambert, president of L3Harris’s intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance division, said in an interview with Breaking Defense on Monday evening. Normally, the process would take several years.

Typically, presidential transport aircraft are decked out with a suite of electronic warfare and defensive equipment, with the plane’s electronics hardened to withstand a nuclear electromagnetic pulse. The shortened modification timeline for the Qatari gift plane required L3Harris personnel to scale back the typical upgrade package.

The president wanted his new toy by July 4th, so they had to cut a few corners.

Pommer · Jul 9, 2026

essentialsaltes said:
How L3Harris transformed a Qatari 747 into a new Air Force One plane before July 4
L3Harris modified the jet in 10 months, with 400 employees working 24/7 to deliver the plane by a July 4 deadline, the head of the company's ISR division said.

L3Harris was tasked to modify the Qatari jet by the July 4 deadline, resulting in a team of about 400 employees working 24/7 to deliver the plane in 10 months, Jason Lambert, president of L3Harris’s intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance division, said in an interview with Breaking Defense on Monday evening. Normally, the process would take several years.

Typically, presidential transport aircraft are decked out with a suite of electronic warfare and defensive equipment, with the plane’s electronics hardened to withstand a nuclear electromagnetic pulse. The shortened modification timeline for the Qatari gift plane required L3Harris personnel to scale back the typical upgrade package.

The president wanted his new toy by July 4th, so they had to cut a few corners.

Perhaps this aircraft can obtain the moniker of “Air Force Once”?

DaisyDay · Jul 9, 2026

essentialsaltes said:
The president wanted his new toy by July 4th, so they had to cut a few corners.

If this is true, it explains a lot.

durangodawood · Jul 9, 2026

So ultra stupid.... spending a dime on a big showy plane thats too insecure for international trips.

wing2000 · Jul 9, 2026

durangodawood said:
So ultra stupid.... spending a dime on a big showy plane thats too insecure for international trips.

Stupid x 3

The two new AF1's that Boeing has been buidling...with delays and cost overuns...stands to cost us around 5 Billion dollars.
The Qatari AF-1 will probably be another billion dollars by the time it's considered secure for the POTUS.
So 6 billion...nevermind the operating cost to keep these birds in top shape....and the additional Air Force aircraft that come along on every presidential trip.

IMO, a leer jet should suffice. And while we are at it, ground the doomsday aircraft as well. Should that day arrive, who is going to be left to govern anyway?

Bradskii · Jul 10, 2026

wing2000 said:
Stupid x 3

The two new AF1's that Boeing has been buidling...with delays and cost overuns...stands to cost us around 5 Billion dollars.
The Qatari AF-1 will probably be another billion dollars by the time it's considered secure for the POTUS.
So 6 billion...nevermind the operating cost to keep these birds in top shape....and the additional Air Force aircraft that come along on every presidential trip.

IMO, a leer jet should suffice.

Stick him in Cattle Class! From here: oseni rufai (@ruffydfire) on X

• Singapore: The President, Prime Minister, and government officials typically use regular scheduled commercial flights (often Singapore Airlines) or charters for international travel. No dedicated VIP fleet exists.
• Norway: No private/dedicated aircraft for the Prime Minister or Royal Family. They charter planes occasionally but usually fly commercially.
• Finland: The President and cabinet ministers usually travel on commercial flights for international trips. The Finnish Air Force has some Learjets, but they’re not exclusively for VIPs — commercial is the norm.
• New Zealand: Leaders often fly commercially; no dedicated state aircraft mentioned in standard use.
• Austria: The government has never operated dedicated transport aircraft — commercial or chartered options are used.
• Netherlands: Leaders fly commercially regularly.
• Hong Kong (Chief Executive): Travels on commercial flights, usually with Cathay Pacific.
• Mexico (in recent years): Former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) frequently flew commercial to save money and promote austerity (selling off the previous presidential jet). Current President Claudia Sheinbaum flew commercial (economy class) to the 2024 G20 Summit in Brazil — the only G20 leader to do so that time.

essentialsaltes · Jul 10, 2026

Speaking to Fox, [Brigadier General] Teichert made it clear: "No matter what you do to retrofit a Qatari jet, it's never going to have the defensive capabilities of a tailor-made Air Force One built from scratch."

MS NOW reporter Carol Leonnig likewise revealed Thursday that one former national security official believes the new Air Force One isn't fully secure.

“This plane was built for aesthetics, not mission,” they said. “We know about its paint, its leather seats. But we don’t know its capabilities.”

Leonnig revealed Thursday afternoon that the president was embarrassedby his need to swap out the new fancy plane. The spicier Air Force One features a new glossy interior, but it lacks key things like the ability to refuel mid-air and defend itself using its own missile-defense systems.

essentialsaltes · Jul 11, 2026

NYT Journalists reportedly issued subpoenas over Air Force One reporting

The subpoenas seek to force the reporters to testify before a federal grand jury in Manhattan on Wednesday, the paper said, adding that federal agents delivered some subpoenas to the reporters at their homes.

"The appearance of federal law enforcement agents on the doorstep of news reporters should shock the conscience of any American who believes in the Constitution and the press freedom it protects," said the paper's lawyer David McCraw in a statement Friday.

The paper reported Wednesday the switch had come at the urging of the Secret Service. On Thursday, the paper said the newer plane lacked some of the advanced security features of the older aircraft, including antimissile capabilities. Both articles cited anonymous sources.

CBS News also reported that the Secret Service advised Mr. Trump use the old jet. U.S. officials told CBS News that the new plane was hurried into service and is lacking some desired capabilities, and a former U.S. government official who spoke to CBS News expressed concern that there wasn't enough time or money to outfit the new plane with defensive capabilities to fully meet the requirements to serve as Air Force One.

wing2000 · Jul 11, 2026

essentialsaltes said:
NYT Journalists reportedly issued subpoenas over Air Force One reporting
The subpoenas seek to force the reporters to testify before a federal grand jury in Manhattan on Wednesday, the paper said, adding that federal agents delivered some subpoenas to the reporters at their homes.

"The appearance of federal law enforcement agents on the doorstep of news reporters should shock the conscience of any American who believes in the Constitution and the press freedom it protects," said the paper's lawyer David McCraw in a statement Friday.

The paper reported Wednesday the switch had come at the urging of the Secret Service. On Thursday, the paper said the newer plane lacked some of the advanced security features of the older aircraft, including antimissile capabilities. Both articles cited anonymous sources.

CBS News also reported that the Secret Service advised Mr. Trump use the old jet. U.S. officials told CBS News that the new plane was hurried into service and is lacking some desired capabilities, and a former U.S. government official who spoke to CBS News expressed concern that there wasn't enough time or money to outfit the new plane with defensive capabilities to fully meet the requirements to serve as Air Force One.

....their reporting embarrassed he with the fragile ego.

Air Force One Issues

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How L3Harris transformed a Qatari 747 into a new Air Force One plane before July 4​

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NYT Journalists reportedly issued subpoenas over Air Force One reporting​

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NYT Journalists reportedly issued subpoenas over Air Force One reporting​

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