Trump wants refurbished Qatari plane for interim Air Force One
President Donald Trump is seeking to refurbish a Boeing 747 previously used by teh qatari government to serve as an interim air Force One. The White House has enlisted the defence company L3Harris to modify the aircraft amid delays in the construction of two new presidential jets by Boeing. Originally projected for completion last year, the Boeing project is now years behind schedule and over budget. During Trump’s first term, he had initiated the procurement of two new presidential planes, but frustration has grown over Boeing’s lack of progress. to address immediate needs, Trump aims to have the refurbished jet ready for use by the fall, while also considering a redesign of its color scheme to reflect his personal aircraft’s deep red, white, and blue theme. The current Air Force One models, dating back to george H.W. Bush’s presidency, require intensive maintenance and can restrict presidential travel.
Trump asks to refurbish Qatari plane for interim Air Force One while Boeing progress lags
President Donald Trump is working to renovate a plane formerly used by the Qatari government to become a new presidential plane.
The White House has commissioned defense company L3Harris to modify a Boeing 747 once used by Qatar, according to a Wall Street Journal report. Boeing has been contracted to construct a pair of Air Force One replacement jets, but the project has fallen far behind schedule.
Trump wants to have the plane available for use as early as this fall. Air Force One jets are some of the world’s most complicated aircraft due to their specialized equipment for presidential security and communication.
During his first administration, Trump commissioned two new presidential planes, and last year, Boeing won a $3.9 million contract to build them out. However, the project, which was expected to be completed by last year, is now years behind schedule and over budget after multiple setbacks. Frank Kendall, the Air Force secretary during the Biden administration, had considered canceling Boeing’s contract for the project.
Before Trump’s inauguration, the White House Military Office and senior U.S. Air Force officials reportedly considered canceling Boeing’s contract, and Trump White House officials have discussed the possibility of suing the company.
The current VC-25As date to former President George H.W. Bush. They require constant maintenance and can limit the president’s overseas travel if one of the two planes is being worked on.
Trump also wants to overhaul the color design of the body of Air Force One. Rather than the light blue color, he wants the planes to match his personal plane painted in red, white, and dark blue, though painting a plane such a dark blue could pose problems with overheating.
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The president expressed his frustration with Boeing in February and suggested he would look overseas to get him new presidential jets.
“I’m not happy with Boeing,” Trump said during remarks to reporters onboard Air Force One. “It takes them a long time to do, you know, Air Force One. We gave that contract out a long time ago as a fixed-price contract, and I’m not happy with the fact that it’s taking so long, and we may do something else.”
The Washington Examiner reached out to the White House for further details on the project but did not receive a response.
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