Experts: Qatar-gifted Air Force One may be security, upgrade disaster [View all]

[Emrys]

Converting a Qatar-donated Boeing 747 into a new Air Force One for President Donald Trump could require vast sums of money, take years to complete and may introduce alarming capability shortcomings and security vulnerabilities into the chief executive’s aircraft, aviation experts said.
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Richard Aboulafia, an expert in military aircraft and managing director of AeroDynamic Advisory, said that even setting aside ethical concerns, accepting that plane to be an Air Force One would be troublesome for a host of reasons.

“It’s all based on an embarrassing misunderstanding of what Air Force One is meant to do,” Aboulafia said. “If it’s a gold-plated palace in the sky and nothing more, have at it. If it’s an actual tool [to be used in a] worst-case contingency [like nuclear war], then this ain’t it.”
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Air Force One is not only used to ferry the president of the United States around the world; it is also meant to be a flying situation room that would allow the commander-in-chief to direct the U.S. military and government during a major catastrophe, such as World War III.

Such airplanes have been upgraded with capabilities including secure communications systems, military-grade power systems and classified self-defense systems to protect the president against a hostile attack, as well as a medical facility.

https://www.defensenews.com/air/2025/05/12/experts-qatar-gifted-air-force-one-may-be-security-upgrade-disaster/

Is An ‘Interim’ Air Force One Replacement Even Feasible?
Reports state that Trump is looking to convert a Qatari royal flight 747 into a less exquisite Air Force One as Boeing's delays on the VC-25Bs stack up.

President Donald Trump’s search for an alternative Air Force One has supposedly taken a new turn, with reports that L3Harris is being tapped to modify a Boeing 747-8 once belonging to the ruling family of Qatar. The background to this is the long-running delays in Boeing’s program to complete two future VC-25B presidential aircraft. New aircraft are required to replace the Air Force’s two existing and increasingly tough to support VC-25As, the first of which entered service in 1990. However, there are big questions around the feasibility of an “interim” Air Force One, especially bearing in mind its exacting requirements for communications, security and survivability.
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The latest report suggests that L3Harris may already be been lined up to transform the super luxurious 747-8i into a U.S. presidential aircraft. The company is one of a small number of companies that could handle a project of this size and scope, with the other obvious contractor being Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC), which was previously contracted to deliver a fleet of highly specialized Survivable Airborne Operations Center (SAOC) aircraft, also based on 747 airframes.
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Still, it’s unclear if this aircraft could be brought into service much more quickly than the VC-25Bs already being converted into Air Force One aircraft by Boeing.
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While there are ways of getting an Air Force One-type jet into service more quickly, it’s highly questionable if the end product would meet the strict requirements for the critical ‘continuity of government’ mission, which you can read about in detail here. It also includes needing to be able to connect with the National Command Authority at any time, as this underpins America’s nuclear deterrent, and operating in the most demanding situations, including a nuclear apocalypse. Such an aircraft requires hardening against the effects of electromagnetic pulse (EMP), extensive secure communications systems, vast power generation, and a very comprehensive self-defense suite, to name just a few major modifications.
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Of course, Trump and Musk may have other ideas, one of which might involve bringing the ex-Qatari jet into service in a more basic configuration, one that wouldn’t necessarily be suitable for the existing demands of the presidential airlift missions. Then, the ‘full-spec’ Air Force Ones could be utilized once they are finally delivered. But this would cause a cascade of issues for the White House, Secret Service, and the Air Force as the entire playbook of how the president operates while in the air would have to be reworked. The risks to the president’s safety would also increase and major contingencies would have to be built around not having an aircraft as capable as Air Force One needs to be, according to existing requirements.

https://www.twz.com/air/is-an-interim-air-force-one-replacement-even-feasible

These articles bear out my gut reaction - and probably many DUers' - when I heard about Trump's latest star "deal".

Of course, if you just wanted to line up a luxury - if ageing - airliner at the taxpayer's expense for (what would hopefully be a short) retirement, then it sounds like this would be just the ticket.