President Donald Trump flew home from a NATO summit in Turkey on an old baby blue Air Force One plane instead of the new Qatari-gifted and retrofitted red, white and navy blue jet he arrived in, a surprise swap that came as the US and Iran once again began trading strikes.
Trump offered little clarity on the swap, instead saying he would fly on the legacy aircraft “for old time’s sake”. But the travel switch raised fresh security questions about the new aircraft that the US spent $400 million to retrofit. Images of the Qatari-gifted jet captured since its unveiling show it is not equipped with some of the same missile detection and countermeasure systems as the older jets.
The swap was announced less than a day after the US military conducted a series of large strikes in Iran in retaliation for its attacks on merchant shipping in the region. Trump has repeatedly said he is “No. 1 on the list for killing” for Iran, and the Secret Service reportedly urged the plane change as a preventive security measure.
The Security Gaps
The new Qatari jet, known as the “bridge” aircraft, was converted on an accelerated 10-month timeline to serve as a temporary replacement for the aging Air Force One fleet. The Air Force conceded that “several highly complex engineering modifications required for the final Air Force One aircraft were intentionally excluded from the Bridge aircraft”.
Jeremiah Gertler, a senior analyst for Teal Group, told the Associated Press that the absence of countermeasure systems and a seemingly smaller number of communications antennas suggested that the Qatari jet was better suited to only work as a domestic aircraft. Unlike the older Air Force One, the Qatari jet lacks the ability to refuel mid-air and the hardened systems needed for a “flying situation room”.
The Distraction and Misdirection
When asked if security concerns played a role in the switch, Trump didn’t directly answer but said that when it came to Iran, he was “No. 1 on the list for killing”. White House communications director Steven Cheung said in a statement: “The new Air Force One is a state-of-the-art aircraft that has been fitted with high-level security protocols that ensure the safety of the President and his staff. As the President has said recently, there are many enemies of America who have their sights on him, and we use every tool at our disposal— including distraction and misdirection— to address those threats”.
Flight trackers were unable to monitor the older plane’s transponder early in the flight after takeoff, suggesting it had been temporarily disabled by the crew — a security measure used when ferrying the president to and from high-risk environments like war zones, not a major NATO ally hosting a long-scheduled summit.
The Bottom Line
President Trump swapped his new Qatari-gifted Air Force One for an older model while flying home from a NATO summit in Turkey, amid security concerns linked to renewed US-Iran strikes. The new $400 million jet lacks some missile detection and command-and-control systems, prompting the Secret Service to urge the switch. Trump downplayed the security concerns, saying he was flying the older plane “for old time’s sake.”
