Converting luxury jet gifted to Trump into Air Force One could cost hundreds of millions [View all]

[Nevilledog]

https://www.cnn.com/2025/05/13/politics/converting-jet-air-force-one-trump-cost

CNN
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Converting a luxury jet gifted by Qatar to President Donald Trump into a replacement for Air Force One could potentially cost hundreds of millions of dollars, and it could take up two years to install the necessary security equipment, communications and defensive capabilities for it to be safely used by the commander in chief, current and former officials told CNN.

Republican Sen. Ted Cruz said Tuesday that the plane “poses significant espionage and surveillance problems.” Across the aisle, Democratic Sen. Jack Reed, ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said accepting it would pose “immense counterintelligence risks by granting a foreign nation potential access to sensitive systems and communications.”

Trump exclaimed in a social media post on Sunday that the Defense Department would be receiving a “GIFT, FREE OF CHARGE, of a 747 aircraft to replace the 40 year old Air Force One, temporarily.” The move would raise numerous ethics questions given the value of the jet, but it also raises serious questions about the security of an aircraft that could be used by the president to ensure continuity of government in an emergency situation.

It has been estimated the jet is worth $400 million, but a person a person familiar with the details of the potential plan said the value of the Qatari aircraft is closer to $250 million. Overhauling it, according to administration estimates the person has been briefed on, could cost as much as three times that, or more.

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Turning Qatari 747 into Air Force One could cost $1 billion and take years, experts say

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/national-security/turning-qatari-747-air-force-one-cost-1-billion-take-years-experts-say-rcna206582

Converting a Qatari-owned 747 jet into a new Air Force One for President Donald Trump would involve installing multiple top-secret systems, cost over $1 billion and take years to complete, three aviation experts told NBC News.

They said that accepting the 13-year-old jet would likely cost U.S. taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars over time, noting that refurbishing the commercial plane would exceed its current value of $400 million. The project might also not be completed by the end of Trump’s term in 2029, at which time the plane is expected to be handed over to Trump’s presidential library foundation.

Richard Aboulafia, an analyst and consultant on commercial and military aviation, said he thought turning the Qatari jetliner into Air Force One would cost billions and take years.

“You’re taking a 747, disassembling it, reassembling it, and then jacking it up to a very high level,” said Aboulafia, a managing director at AeroDynamic Advisory, a consulting firm.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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