According to a report from Defense News on July 20, U.S. President Donald Trump has revealed that the new presidential aircraft, “Air Force One,” is heading back for a full security overhaul to beef up its defenses. The thing is, this plane only entered service on July 1—less than a month ago. The fact that it’s already showing security gaps and needs to be sent back for fixes has triggered a wave of sarcasm and criticism from American media outlets.
The new Air Force One
The report explains that this new version of Air Force One was converted from a Boeing 747-8 jumbo jet that was “donated” by Qatar. Trump flew on it to Turkey on July 6 for a NATO summit, but when he left Turkey for the UK on July 8, he suddenly switched back to the older Air Force One. That move raised a lot of eyebrows. NBC News reported that the U.S. Secret Service advised Trump to use the older, better-equipped plane for his return from Turkey because the flight path went near the Middle East, and the U.S. had just resumed military operations against Iran. Still, U.S. government officials said the new plane is still fine for domestic trips and travel to Europe.
On the evening of July 19, local time, President Trump was asked by reporters about the new plane’s lack of missile defense capabilities as he arrived at Joint Base Andrews. “Because some folks are worried about its safety performance,” Trump said, “this plane is about to be sent away for upgrades, and it’ll probably take about a month.”
Defense News noted that this new Air Force One is really just a temporary model. Boeing is currently working on two custom-built presidential planes under a 2018 contract with the U.S. Air Force. They’re also based on the Boeing 747-8, but all the onboard gear is specially designed. Those were supposed to be delivered by 2024, but now they’re pushed back to 2028, and the costs have blown way past the original budget. Critics argue that while those two new planes are taking forever and costing a fortune, this “donated” Air Force One from Qatar was rushed through its conversion way too fast—and its security features are drawing serious fire.
Multiple U.S. media outlets revealed that even though the new Air Force One has a newer airframe, the conversion timeline was super tight. It started in September 2025 and was ready by July 2026—just 10 months. That means the upgrades weren’t thorough, and many key features don’t meet the tough standards for a presidential aircraft. The New York Times pointed out that the plane lacks countermeasures against incoming missiles, which makes it vulnerable in a missile threat scenario. It also can’t do mid-air refueling, which seriously limits its range and how long it can stay in the air, hurting its ability to keep running during a crisis. Plus, its communication systems might be lacking, which could affect the president’s ability to stay in secure, stable contact while flying as the commander-in-chief. Even after this “back-to-the-shop” fix, the upgrades are expected to be pretty limited.