Trump: Qatar Air Force One Upgrades Will Be ‘Maxed Out’

Qatar Air Force One upgrades are on the way, President Donald Trump confirmed Sunday, telling reporters the Qatari-donated jumbo jet now serving as his presidential aircraft will be sent away in about a month to be “maxed out” with additional defensive capability. Speaking to reporters at Joint Base Andrews as he returned from the FIFA World Cup final in New Jersey, Trump was pressed on reports that the jet lacks the antimissile systems built into the older Air Force One fleet. “It has a lot of capability,” Trump said, before adding that the aircraft would soon head back into the shop. “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.”

What Trump Said About the Qatar Air Force One Upgrades

Trump’s comments came directly in response to a reporter’s question about whether the Qatari-donated aircraft has the same “antimissile defense systems” as the retiring VC-25A jets that have carried presidents since the early 1990s. Rather than deny the gap, Trump appeared to acknowledge it, framing the coming work as a routine next step rather than a fix for a flaw. He said the plane has a “lot of capability,” but that in about a month it will go in for another round of upgrades, adding that the jet will get “maxed out” and that he expects the process to take about a month. He did not elaborate on which specific systems would be added or enhanced, and the Air Force has not detailed the scope of the planned work.

Security Concerns Behind the Qatar Jet’s Missile-Defense Gap

The renewed attention traces back to Trump’s decision, on July 8, to switch planes mid-trip rather than fly the Qatari jet directly from a NATO summit in Turkey to the United Kingdom. He instead boarded an older Air Force One for that leg, later returning to the U.S. aboard the newer aircraft. At the time, Trump downplayed the switch as sentimental, saying it was “for old time’s sake.” NBC News has since reported that the Secret Service urged Trump to take the older plane home from Turkey specifically because he was departing from a location near the Middle East amid renewed U.S.-Iran hostilities.

Fallout From Reporting on the Plane’s Vulnerabilities

Trump has privately been frustrated by reporting on the aircraft’s security shortcomings, and his administration has moved aggressively to identify who spoke with journalists about them, with Chief of Staff Susie Wiles and FBI Director Kash Patel both personally involved in that effort. Separately, four New York Times journalists were subpoenaed by the Justice Department this month following stories examining the new plane’s security posture, underscoring how sensitive the topic has become inside the West Wing.

What Air Force One’s Defensive Systems Normally Include

Air Force One’s defensive countermeasures blend publicly disclosed technology with classified systems that are deliberately kept opaque to protect against attack, including Large Aircraft Infrared Countermeasures designed to disrupt a missile’s guidance, along with EMP protection, flare countermeasures and a hardened airframe. Reporting has indicated the Qatari-donated jet, converted on an accelerated timeline, was not equipped with the full suite of those systems before entering service, which is why officials describe the coming work as bringing it in line with the older fleet rather than a routine tune-up.

Cost and Timeline of the Qatar Jet Retrofit

The Air Force has said publicly that converting the jet would likely cost under $400 million, though lawmakers and outside estimates have put the true figure as high as $1 billion or more once classified defensive work is included. Air Force Secretary Troy Meink told Congress in 2025 that many of the expenses “we’d have experienced anyway,” and that using funds already budgeted elsewhere would keep costs down. Congressional budget analysts have since reported that part of the program was funded through a transfer originally tied to the Sentinel nuclear missile modernization effort, a move that has drawn criticism from Democratic lawmakers. The Air Force has since declined to disclose an updated total cost, citing classification.

Why Boeing’s Delays Made the Qatari Jet Necessary

The Qatari aircraft exists as a stopgap because Boeing has repeatedly missed deadlines on the permanent replacement jets. Boeing is working under a $3.9 billion fixed-price contract, signed in 2018, to deliver two purpose-built 747-8 aircraft as the next-generation Air Force One fleet; that program is now roughly four years behind its original schedule and over budget, with delivery not expected until around 2028. That delay left the decades-old VC-25A jets, in service since the early 1990s, as the only presidential aircraft available until the Qatari plane entered rotation on July 1.

Political Reaction to the Air Force One Upgrade Plan

The jet has been politically contentious since Qatar’s offer became public in 2025, with ethics watchdogs and congressional Democrats raising concerns about accepting a foreign government’s gift for presidential use. The White House has consistently rejected that criticism, describing the aircraft as a free gift that solved an urgent readiness gap left by Boeing’s delays. Sunday’s remarks are likely to reignite that debate, since Trump’s own comments about needing the plane “maxed out” appeared, to several outlets covering the story, to confirm rather than dispel the underlying security concerns.

What Happens Next for Air Force One

For now, the Qatari-donated jet remains in active rotation as Air Force One while officials finalize plans to send it back for the additional work Trump described. Neither the White House nor the Air Force has released a specific date for when the aircraft will go offline, and officials have not said whether a backup plane will be used during the roughly month-long window Trump described. The permanent solution — Boeing’s purpose-built 747-8 jets — remains years away, meaning the Qatari aircraft, and whatever “maxed out” upgrades it receives, will likely remain central to presidential travel for the foreseeable future.

For continuing coverage of the story, including additional reporting on the aircraft’s classified systems, see Reuters’ ongoing coverage.