By Trevor Hunnicutt
JOINT BASE ANDREWS, Maryland, July 19 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said on Sunday that the Qatari-donated jet that serves as an Air Force One plane will soon be sent away for upgrades, following questions about the plane's security features.
Trump started flying aboard the jumbo jet on July 1 after accepting the plane as a gift last year, when an accelerated effort to renovate the Boeing 747 for presidential use began.
But Trump unexpectedly ditched the plane on a flight
from Turkey to the United Kingdom amid rising hostility with Iran on July 8. He flew aboard an older Air Force One to London in what he described as a move "for old time's sake", but later boarded the new plane to return to the U.S.
Trump was asked about whether the newly renovated airplane lacked missile-defense capabilities as he returned home from a trip to the FIFA World Cup final in New Jersey on Sunday.
"It has a lot of capability," Trump said of the plane. "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."
The Air Force did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The new plane, with red, white, dark blue and gold livery chosen by Trump, was refitted by defense contractor L3Harris Technologies.
It's meant to serve as a temporary replacement as Boeing has struggled to deliver long-delayed next-generation Air Force One planes. Boeing is working to deliver two purpose-built 747-8s under a $3.9 billion fixed-price contract signed in 2018 that's now four years behind schedule and over budget. Delivery of the new planes is expected in mid-2028.
The upgrades to the jet from Qatar were completed so quickly that some experts expressed concern that the plane may not be as secure as the baby blue Air Force One that preceded it. Critics also questioned the cost and propriety of accepting the gift.
New York Times journalists who had reported on the security features of the new aircraft were subpoenaed earlier this month. The Times has asked a court to block those orders to appear before a grand jury panel in Manhattan federal court.
(Reporting by Trevor Hunnicutt; Additional reporting by Idrees Ali; Editing by Sergio Non and Raju Gopalakrishnan)
