President Trump could fly on a new Air Force One plane as soon as February, he said on Tuesday while speaking to members of the press aboard the current presidential plane.
“They say February, maybe,” Trump said in response to a question about when he expects to fly on the new Air Force One. “Much sooner than the others.”
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In May, Trump formally accepted Qatar’s gift of a Boeing 747 and asked the U.S. Air Force to upgrade the jet so it could be used as Air Force One. Boeing was initially supposed to deliver two converted 747s last year to replace the current, aging Air Force One jets. However, that project is years behind schedule and billions over budget.
“The others are being built,” Trump said. “… But we’ll get this one a year-and-a-half, two years earlier.”
Trump told reporters he did not know the exact cost of retrofitting the 13-year-old Qatari jet for presidential use, noting that it’s “up to the military.” Air Force Secretary Troy Meink estimated last month that the project could cost hundreds of millions of dollars, while Democratic lawmakers have said the retrofit could cost more than $1 billion, according to Reuters.
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The jet must be outfitted with secure communications systems, missile defenses, aerial refueling capabilities, protection against electromagnetic pulse attacks and countermeasures for electronic jamming. It would also need to be cleared of any potential surveillance hardware.
“We’re going to have a great 747. We need it,” Trump said, responding to a question about whether retrofitting the new plane is worth the cost. “If you look at this plane, it’s 32, 34, 35 [years old] — I don’t know, it’s old. … It’s very hard to get parts.”
The two current Air Force One planes that President Donald Trump flies in are military versions of Boeing’s 747-200B, known as the VC-25A. They entered service in 1990.
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“When you look at 747s and, you know, the heads of state from especially the Arab countries…and you put it next to this, it doesn’t show well for the United States,” Trump added.
Qatar’s gift was a Boeing 747-8i, the largest and newest version of the 747 series by the Washington-based aircraft manufacturer.
The Air Force awarded Boeing a $3.9 billion fixed-price contract in July 2018 for two highly customized 747-8s, following months of negotiation. Boeing has already reported more than $2.5 billion in losses on the program.
“If you remember, it was Obama that wanted to get the plane,” Trump said. “He was the one ready to sign a contract, and because he wanted to sign it, I assume they paid too much. And I was able to get … Maybe [$1.5 billion to $1.7 billion] off the price for the exact same plane.”
Officially, the Air Force and Boeing has said they are aiming for 2027 to complete the planes. However, the White House has estimated the timeline could be pushed back even further — to 2029 or later.
Boeing and the White House did not immediately respond to FOX Business’ request for comment.
FOX Business’ Kristen Altus and Morgan Phillips contributed to this report.
