Air Force chief: Qatari jet will cost less than $400 million to retrofit
The Defense Department's transformation of a Qatari jet into Air Force One will likely cost less than $400 million, Air Force Secretary Troy Meink told lawmakers on Thursday, the first price estimate provided by the Trump administration about the president's controversial gift.
Meink, who declined to cite a specific cost for retrofitting the plane, named the broad figure at a House Armed Services Committee hearing in response to Democrats' concerns of a massive price tag.
Some estimates have put the cost in the billions since Air Force officials would need to strip the plane down significantly — if not to the studs — to install encrypted communications, harden its defenses, and put in place electronic and other countermeasures to protect against U.S. adversaries.
'There has been a number thrown around a billion dollars, but a lot of those costs associated with that are costs that we've experienced anyway,' Meink said at the hearing, noting the service had already budgeted for space parts. 'It's probably less than $400 million to retrofit that aircraft.'
Meink conceded that officials would need to do 'a deep sweep' to make sure there aren't counterintelligence threats on the Qatari jet. But he said the Air Force was doing 'whatever we can' to move the timeline forward to get the it ready for President Donald Trump.
Boeing is already delayed on a multiyear effort to refurbish two 747 aircraft to serve as Air Force One. Democrats, and some Republicans, have expressed concern about the ethical and financial implications of accepting the aircraft. But the president has insisted it will save taxpayers money.
Rep. Joe Courtney (D-Conn.) pushed Meink on whether the costs for the Qatar jet could spiral, citing expenses for an Air Force One overhaul in 2018 that reached $3.9 billion.
'You can't retrofit a plane that's built for another purpose for Air Force One and expect it to be a free plane,' he told Meink.
A former Air Force official with knowledge of the presidential aircraft program, who was granted anonymity to speak candidly, also warned the costs would likely skyrocket.
'Air Force One costs over $2 billion a piece so there's almost a factor of 10 difference in the cost of just the airplane and what it takes to make it into an Air Force One,' the person said. Putting in systems 'is where a couple of billion dollars in airplane costs come from. And you can't do that in a few months or even a year."
Paul McLeary contributed to this report.
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