Air Force One Issues

[DaisyDay]

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

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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.​

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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.​

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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]

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]

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]

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]

...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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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

“I know a guy…”

 

[essentialsaltes]

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]

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]

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]

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

 

[wing2000]

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]

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.