The US Air Force has announced that it has finished modifying and testing a Boeing 747 jet to have it ready for Donald Trump's presidential use this summer as a 'temporary Air Force One.'
The service, in a release late Friday, said that the jet has been overhauled and painted in red, white and blue.
The $400 million Qatari jumbo, described as "the palace in the sky" due to its top-of-the-line luxury finishes, was a gift to the US Commander-in-Chief from the United States' steadfast Gulf ally, Qatar. While Trump claimed that it wouldn't be flying until his term ends, the US Air Force officials said that the aircraft would serve as a "bridge" until Boeing delivers a pair of new planes for use before 2028.
The aircraft has officially completed modification and flight testing and is being painted. The aircraft is on schedule to roll out in a new red, white and blue livery this summer, the US Air Force said in a statement.
A spokesperson for L3Harris Technologies has reportedly said that the Qatari aircraft completed "extensive modifications and mission systems integration", which will serve as the Air Force One presidential plane. "The Office of the President will receive a safe and secure aircraft equipped with a new communications system that provides resilient and secure connectivity to respond to events anywhere in the world without disruption," the spokesperson noted.
The current US Air Force One has been in service for nearly four decades, and Trump has been "eager" to replace it, The Associated Press is reporting. "Boeing has been retrofitting 747s originally built for a now-defunct Russian airliner, but the program has faced nearly a decade of delays from a series of issues, including a critical subcontractor's bankruptcy and the difficulty of finding and retaining qualified staff who could be awarded high-level security clearances," sources have told the agency.
They described an irate Trump, saying that he has been "out of patience," and that the situation is "a total mess."
Furthermore, Trump complained that Air Force One "isn't as nice as the planes flown by some Arab leaders."The US President, specifically, had taken the delivery of the high-tech Boeing 747-8 as a "gift" from the Qatari royal family to serve as the new Air Force One.
Ethics Watchdogs Flag National Security Concerns
While the much-touted "luxurious" jet, offered to Trump in May 2025, is set to make its debut this summer, ethics watchdogs have sounded alarms over the unprecedented nature of accepting a multi-million dollar luxury asset from a foreign sovereign state by a head of state. The Gulf emirate's gift has sparked major constitutional and ethical questions among the Democrats, as well as security concerns for using a plane gifted by a foreign power as the presidential aircraft.
US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has assured that the jet has been accepted "in accordance with all federal rules and regulations," Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell told the Pentagon conference. Defence Department "will work to ensure proper security measures and functional-mission requirements are considered for an aircraft used to transport the president of the United States," Parnell said.
In a section known as the Emoluments Clause, the US Constitution prohibits government officials from accepting gifts "from any King, Prince or foreign State."
The Trump administration, however, denied ethical issues involved with accepting the plane. Trump himself said it would be "stupid" for the US government not to take the aircraft.
He has touted the aircraft as a "massive win for taxpayers." The plane's readiness is widely expected to align with the US's 250th birthday on 4 July.
A 'Dream Jet'
The modified Boeing 747-8, the future Air Force One, was formerly owned by the Qatari House of Thani. It arrived at Joint Base Andrews this week, sporting a redesigned livery that reflects the President's personal aesthetic preferences.
Often referred to as the "Vader" jet due to its sleek, dark-toned interior modifications during its time in Doha, the plane replaces the ageing VC-25A fleet that has served the American presidents since the Reagan era. The delivery marks the culmination of a deal that has been shrouded in speculation for months.
A US Air Force spokesperson told The Guardian that the US Air Force remains committed to expediting delivery of the VC-25 bridge aircraft in support of the Presidential airlift mission, with an anticipated delivery no later than summer 2026. The aircraft, he added, will be used for executive airlift and is currently being fitted with missile defence systems, secure communications and protection against electromagnetic pulses from nuclear explosions.
Valued at several hundred million dollars, the "Dream Jet" features state-of-the-art communications suites, medical facilities, and executive quarters that rival the luxury of the world's most exclusive private residences. It became known during Trump's first foreign trip to the Gulf since retaking office last January. The US Commander-in-Chief chose to visit Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, touted as the allies with large sovereign wealth funds.
Despite backlash, Trump called the gift from Qatar a "very nice gesture." He clapped back at the Democrats, saying,"Now I could be a stupid person and say: 'Oh no, we don't want a free plane.' I would never be one to turn down that kind of an offer."
Earlier in January, Trump's current Air Force One, en route to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, made an emergency landing. It was forced to turn back to Washington DC shortly after takeoff because of what officials called a "minor electrical issue." White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, at a presser, said that the presidential plane's diversion was made "out of an abundance of caution."After returning, the US President boarded Air Force C-32, a modified Boeing 757 that he uses for domestic flying.
A Diplomatic Liability?
The White House has framed the acquisition as a masterstroke of negotiation, but the Democrats have called the "gift" a diplomatic liability. By accepting the jet as a gift, the Trump administration claims it has saved billions of dollars that would have otherwise been spent on the long-delayed and over-budget Boeing VC-25B project. "This is about efficiency and respect for the taxpayer," a White House spokesperson stated, noting that the Qatari government offered the plane as a gesture of "enduring friendship" between the two nations.
However, the legal and ethical implications are already being challenged on Capitol Hill as critics point to the Emoluments Clause, which prohibits federal officials from accepting gifts or titles from foreign states without the express consent of Congress. They argue that the gift creates an inherent conflict of interest, potentially tethering US Middle East policy to Qatari interests.