Trump says antimissile defense systems on new Qatar-provided Air Force One will be upgraded
President donald Trump announced that the new Air Force One jet, gifted by Qatar and valued at $400 million, is being upgraded with enhanced antimissile defense systems following security concerns. Although Trump described the upgrade as a precaution to add the latest defenses, visual evidence suggests the Qatar-provided aircraft lacks many of the advanced countermeasures present on the older VC-25A aircraft, such as directed energy weapons, EMP defenses, flares, and a hardened structure. Consequently, Trump’s Secret Service urged him to use the older aircraft for his flight from Turkey, where fears of threats, particularly from Iran, are heightened. The new jet is intended as a temporary replacement until the next-generation Air Force One, scheduled for 2028, is ready.Trump downplayed security concerns, stating that a president’s life is risky and claimed he is a top target for Iran. During a recent trip, he initially used the Qatari plane to Turkey, then switched to the old aircraft en route to the UK, highlighting ongoing concerns about the new plane’s defenses. The story has sparked intrigue and legal action, with the Trump management subpoenaing journalists who reported details about the aircraft’s security capabilities.
President Donald Trump said the new Air Force One jet is being sent to have its antimissile defense systems “maxed out,” after security concerns pushed him to take another aircraft back from the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey.
Speaking to reporters as he flew back from the World Cup match in New Jersey, Trump downplayed concerns about the plane’s security measures, portraying the move as a safety precaution to give it all the latest defenses.
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“It has a lot of capability,” Trump said. “But as I understand it, in about a month or so, they’re gonna send it to have it be maxed out. … It’ll take about a month.”
Visual evidence and reporting indicated that the new Air Force One, a $400 million jet gifted by Qatar, wasn’t retrofitted with the same advanced defense capabilities as the older VC-25A that served as Air Force One for decades.
Air Force One’s defensive countermeasures are a mix of publicly disclosed systems and classified ones, intentionally kept opaque to protect against attacks. Among its known countermeasures is its Large Aircraft Infrared Countermeasures directed energy weapon systems, which are intended to disrupt a seeking missile’s guidance system.
The aircraft also includes EMP defenses, old-school flares, and a hardened structure.
The new Qatari-gifted jet likely lacks many of these advanced systems, resulting in the Secret Service successfully urging Trump to use the old plane to fly out of Turkey, which borders Iran. The new Qatari jet is meant as a temporary replacement until the new, next-generation Air Force One is introduced, currently scheduled for 2028.
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Trump, for his part, has put on a stoic persona when asked about the threats to his life.
“You know the life of a president is very dangerous,” he said earlier this month, later adding, “I’m No. 1 on the kill list for Iran.”
When Trump visited Turkey for the NATO summit earlier this month, he flew to the event on the Qatari plane, but then made a pit stop in the United Kingdom via the old Air Force One plane before reboarding the new plane. At the time, the New York Times reported the switch-up was because the new jet did not have the same defensive capabilities to ensure the president’s safety. The Trump administration has since subpoenaed the journalists who reported that story.
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