The Secret Service reportedly urged President Trump to fly onboard one of the original Air Force One Boeing 747s earlier this week due to security concerns. The news comes just days after the President made headlines for unexpectedly ditching his new ex-Qatari 747-8 to return home from a NATO summit in Turkey.

While never mentioning security worries that were reportedly raised within his administration, Mr. Trump’s reasoning for suddenly sidelining the aircraft was “for old time’s sake.” Nonetheless, the abrupt move and existing controversy surrounding the quadjet fueled speculation over its defense capabilities – which are critical for presidential transport.

Secret Service Intervenes: Trump’s New & Unsecure 747

Credit: US Air Force

According to The New York Times, the Secret Service urged Trump to depart from Turkey aboard the old Air Force One on Wednesday because the new aircraft is not equipped with the same defense systems. The luxury plane, which the White House claims was gifted by the Qatari Government last year, did not meet the US Air Force’s requirements for the President to fly onboard. As such, it underwent a conversion to ensure it became “safe, secure and equipped with the most advanced technologies necessary,” according to the Air Force.

The Times reported on Thursday that multiple officials who were briefed on the aircraft’s retrofit confirmed that it lacks security modifications equipped on the pair of original Air Force One jets, which include advanced antimissile capabilities. Additionally, experts have said that operating the interim aircraft abroad without essential defense systems creates a potential risk. While the plane’s safety is critical for the President, it is also significant for other onboard constituents, such as members of the administration, journalists, and guests.

Following the Defense Department’s formal acceptance of the aircraft last summer, the Trump administration appointed L3Harris to perform the overhaul. It was supervised by the Air Force, but details on whether the plane received sufficient security upgrades were never disclosed, despite lawmakers’ requests.

Fears Over An Expedited Retrofit

Credit: Wikimeda Commons

After the NATO summit, the President and the new Air Force One, commonly referred to as the VC-25B bridge aircraft, visited RAF Mildenhall before heading home to Washington. However, Trump flew separately onboard one of the old Air Force One planes, known as VC-25A. He claimed that the new Air Force One would visit the base to give military personnel “a chance to tour” it. However, his sentiment quickly sparked speculation over the credibility of the matter.

Michael McFaul, Professor of Political Science and former US Ambassador to Russia, expressed on X that Trump’s statement did not seem factual.

“Trumps claim that he’s having his Qatar jet fly to Europe so our soldiers can see it does not sound credible. Hope we learn more about what is actually going on.”

Andrew Feinberg, White House Correspondent for The Independent, also refuted the President’s statement on X.

“The most likely reason for this is that the “new” ex-Qatari jet doesn’t have the self-defense capabilities needed when flying from Turkey while in a shooting war with Iran,” Feinberg explained. “The actual VC-25 aircraft does have those capabilities.”

Experts and members of Congress originally estimated last year that transforming the 13-year-old airframe into a presidential transport aircraft would take as many as four years – a project that may not have been completed before the end of Trump’s term. It was also believed at the time that the cost of the retrofit would exceed $1 billion.

Given that the President has been upset with Boeing’s significant delays in the official Air Force One replacements, lawmakers expressed concerns that the aircraft’s overhaul would be rushed. Simple Flying previously reported that Senator Tammy Duckworth was worried about the Air Force being pressured to “cut corners on operational security.”

There Wasn’t Enough Time To Overhaul The New Air Force One

Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Although the White House would not touch on specifics of the aircraft’s security and counterdefense measures, Communications Director Steven Cheung doubled down on its safety in a statement obtained by The New York Times.

“The new Air Force One is a state-of-the-art aircraft that has been fitted with high-level security protocols that ensure the safety of the president and his staff,” he said. “As the president has said recently, there are many enemies of America who have their sights on him, and we use every tool at our disposal to address those threats.”

The Air Force previously alluded to the belief that the new Air Force One was not fully equipped with the same defense systems as the VC-25A jets, saying “the collective team made trades on some of the less commonly used mission sets” during the retrofit. However, it would not specify further. However, a former Air Force official claimed there was not enough time to equip it with systems identical to those of the original Air Force One planes.

“Time didn’t permit all the normal Air Force One modifications, so some mix of security, communications and support is missing,” former Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall said to The Times. “Frankly, I’m surprised to see this plane used outside the U.S.”