The luxurious Qatari jet being remodeled into a brand new Air Force One will be delivered this summer time, the Air Force stated in a press release, roughly a 12 months after its intensive modification started.
“The Air Force remains committed to expediting delivery of the VC-25 bridge aircraft in support of the Presidential airlift mission, with an anticipated delivery no later than summer 2026,” an Air Force spokesperson advised NCS on Thursday.
It’s unclear if the aircraft will be instantly operational as soon as it’s delivered, or if extra testing would wish to be carried out earlier than it’s match to fly for the president. The Wall Street Journal first reported the supply date of this summer time.
The Air Force has not beforehand supplied a agency timeline for the venture, although President Donald Trump stated final 12 months the aircraft may be prepared to use by February 2026— an bold timeline given the substantial work wanted to be executed on the plane to make it an acceptable to function as Air Force One.
The US started changing the jet final 12 months, although particulars associated to the modification are largely categorised.
The Boeing 747 plane — a “gift” donated by Qatar, Trump stated final 12 months — would wish to endure appreciable adjustments so as to tackle intelligence and safety dangers. NCS beforehand reported it will want to be stripped down to its body by US businesses, and rebuilt with mandatory communications and safety tools.
“You would want to check the airplane out completely – strip it down, check for bugs, things like that, harden it to make sure nobody could hijack the electronics on the airplane … The ability for the president to command and control his military in the worst days, that takes a lot,” a retired senior navy official accustomed to Air Force One beforehand advised NCS.
Other options like the flexibility to refuel mid-air, for instance, are usually not customary for standard 747 plane, however would be a mandatory functionality if the president wished to stay airborne within the occasion of a serious emergency.
The Air Force spokesperson on Thursday stated the service was working with “other government entities to ensure proper security measures and function-mission requirements are considered” for the plane.
An settlement signed by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and his Qatari counterpart final 12 months stated the donation of the aircraft was “unconditional” and confirmed the US wouldn’t pay something to Qatar. Still, the US was expected to spend lots of of thousands and thousands of {dollars} changing the plane.
The venture was expected to price “probably less than $400 million,” Air Force Secretary Troy Meink advised lawmakers final 12 months.
Earlier this week an electrical issue pressured Trump’s Europe-bound aircraft to flip again to Joint Base Andrews.
To resume his journey to Switzerland, the president switched Tuesday to a Boeing C-32A, which is commonly utilized by the primary woman or Cabinet members