Latest news with #QatariPlane
CNN
05-06-2025
- Business
- CNN
Qatari jet that could be new Air Force One will ‘probably' cost less than $400 million to retrofit, Air Force Secretary says
Air Force Secretary Troy Meink told lawmakers on Thursday that it will 'probably' cost the Air Force less than $400 million to retrofit a luxury Qatari plane that President Donald Trump has said he is getting from the Qataris as a gift to use as the new Air Force One. Meink was grilled about the plane's cost by Democratic Rep. Joe Courtney during a hearing before the House Armed Services Committee. 'You can't retrofit a plane that is built for another purpose for Air Force One and expect it to be a free plane,' the Connecticut congressman said, adding that the Qatari plane will require encrypted communications technology, hardened defenses and countermeasures. 'It's clear that this is going to be a drain on the Air Force's budget.' Meink would not discuss details of how the plane will need to be retrofitted, noting that much of that information is classified. But he said estimates that it will cost over $1 billion are high, and that 'we believe the actual retrofit of the aircraft is probably less than $400 million.' The Pentagon announced last month that Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth had accepted the Boeing 747 from Qatar that Trump will use once the Pentagon upgrades it to include 'proper security measures and functional-mission requirements.' A the time, a person familiar with the discussions, however, countered that the deal had not yet been finalized and that the talks between the legal teams are ongoing. The aircraft is currently parked in San Antonio awaiting upgrades, and the Air Force told CNN last month that 'as directed by the Secretary of Defense, the Air Force is preparing to award a contract to modify a Boeing 747 aircraft for executive airlift. Details related to the contract are classified.' Retrofitting and installing the required security and communications equipment on a second-hand plane from another government, even a friendly one, is a monumental task, CNN has reported. US spy and security agencies tasked with the overhaul will need to essentially strip the aircraft down to its frame and rebuild it with the necessary equipment.
CNN
05-06-2025
- Business
- CNN
Qatari jet that could be new Air Force One will ‘probably' cost less than $400 million to retrofit, Air Force Secretary says
Air Force Secretary Troy Meink told lawmakers on Thursday that it will 'probably' cost the Air Force less than $400 million to retrofit a luxury Qatari plane that President Donald Trump has said he is getting from the Qataris as a gift to use as the new Air Force One. Meink was grilled about the plane's cost by Democratic Rep. Joe Courtney during a hearing before the House Armed Services Committee. 'You can't retrofit a plane that is built for another purpose for Air Force One and expect it to be a free plane,' the Connecticut congressman said, adding that the Qatari plane will require encrypted communications technology, hardened defenses and countermeasures. 'It's clear that this is going to be a drain on the Air Force's budget.' Meink would not discuss details of how the plane will need to be retrofitted, noting that much of that information is classified. But he said estimates that it will cost over $1 billion are high, and that 'we believe the actual retrofit of the aircraft is probably less than $400 million.' The Pentagon announced last month that Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth had accepted the Boeing 747 from Qatar that Trump will use once the Pentagon upgrades it to include 'proper security measures and functional-mission requirements.' A the time, a person familiar with the discussions, however, countered that the deal had not yet been finalized and that the talks between the legal teams are ongoing. The aircraft is currently parked in San Antonio awaiting upgrades, and the Air Force told CNN last month that 'as directed by the Secretary of Defense, the Air Force is preparing to award a contract to modify a Boeing 747 aircraft for executive airlift. Details related to the contract are classified.' Retrofitting and installing the required security and communications equipment on a second-hand plane from another government, even a friendly one, is a monumental task, CNN has reported. US spy and security agencies tasked with the overhaul will need to essentially strip the aircraft down to its frame and rebuild it with the necessary equipment.
Sky News
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Sky News
Trump says it would be 'stupid' not to accept Qatari plane - as jet already in the US
Donald Trump has claimed it would be "stupid" not to accept the gift of a free Qatari plane to replace Air Force One, with the jet already in the US, according to flight tracking data. The US president toured the Boeing 747-8 earlier this year and he is now preparing to accept it as a gift from the Qatari royal family. Despite concerns raised over the president accepting the $400m (£303m) gift, Mr Trump told reporters on Monday: "I think it's a great gesture from Qatar." He added: "I appreciate it very much. I would never be one to turn down that kind of an offer. "I mean, I could be a stupid person saying: 'No, we don't want a free, very expensive airplane'." The jet is currently sitting at San Antonio International Airport, according to tracking data, Sky News' US partner NBC News reported, adding that it has been parked there since 3 April. It is the same plane the US leader toured at Palm Beach International Airport on 15 February. Friendly fire Critics of the plan have warned that the move threatens to turn a global symbol of American power into an airborne collection of ethical, legal, security and counterintelligence concerns. In an effort to cut off some opposition, Mr Trump said he would not keep the plane after his term finished, instead donating it to a future presidential library. However, that has done little to quell anger which has even come from within the Republican party. "My view is that it would be better if Air Force One were a big, beautiful jet made in the United States of America. That would be ideal," said senator Josh Hawley. Senator Rand Paul, when asked whether Mr Trump should accept the plane, simply said: "No." Some of the most vocal members of his MAGA group of supporters, including the likes of Ben Shapiro and Laura Loomer, have voiced their opposition to the move in a rare show of dissent to the president they usually back so vociferously. Mr Trump will likely face questions over the plane in the coming days as he travels to the Middle East, including a stop in Qatar. Inside the 'palace in the sky' The following images are from inside the Boeing 747-8 that Mr Trump is pushing to accept. It shows the luxury jet before any potential re-fitting it might undergo in the hands of the US president. The 78-year-old has previously complained about Boeing taking too long to deliver the new Air Force One planes commissioned during his first term. The current Air Force One planes were built from scratch near the end of the Cold War and host a range of improved security features, including being hardened against the effects of a nuclear blast and hosting a vast communications suite. A former US official briefed on the replacement project said there would be no time to add the full host capabilities to the Qatari replacement plane. There are fears Mr Trump would be compromising security by rushing to modify the replacement jet. William Evanina, who served as director of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center during Mr Trump's first term, said checking the Qatari plane for surveillance devices alone would "take years". Others have also questioned what it means for the sitting president to accept such an expensive gift.
