Trump says Qatari jet will get security upgrades

President Trump said Sunday that the Boeing jet donated by Qatar’s royal family and used as a new Air Force One will be taken out of service soon for defensive upgrades, following questions about whether it has the same protections as the purpose-built presidential fleet.

“It has a lot of capability, but as I understand it, in about a month or so, they’re going to send it to have it be maxed out,” Trump told reporters after attending the World Cup final match in New Jersey. “They’re going to be sending it, and they’ll have it be maxed out. It’ll take about a month.”

Trump did not specify what systems would be added or upgraded. His comments came after he was asked why he continues to fly on an aircraft that lacks anti-missile defenses, The Guardian reported. The outlet said he had just returned to Washington on the jet after traveling from MetLife Stadium, where he handed the World Cup trophy to Spain alongside FIFA President Gianni Infantino after the final.

The aircraft, a Boeing 747-8 donated by Qatar’s royal family, has drawn scrutiny over both security and ethics. The Guardian, citing reporting by The New York Times, said the roughly 14-year-old plane is valued at close to $400 million and lacks defensive systems found on presidential aircraft, including infrared countermeasures that can divert heat-seeking missiles and sensors that detect incoming launches.

CBS News reported earlier this month that the older planes serving as Air Force One have laser technology to blind an incoming missile, systems that could misdirect incoming munitions and other diversion technologies, according to sources familiar with the matter.

Trump has flown on the donated jet several times since its debut. CBS News reported that after he used it to travel to Turkey earlier this month, he switched to the older Air Force One for part of the return trip. Trump said at the time that he sent the new jet ahead so U.S. service members stationed in England could tour it. But CBS News reported, citing sources, that the swap was actually requested by the U.S. Secret Service in part because the new plane was not yet equipped with the security features and systems of the original.

The Guardian reported that the switch came after a NATO summit in Turkey and amid rising tensions with Iran, reportedly on the advice of the Secret Service.

The plane underwent about 10 months of work before Trump flew it for the first time on July 1, CBS News reported. Officials have described it as a stopgap while two newly ordered Boeing jets, delayed by roughly four years, are completed, according to The Guardian.

The acceptance of the jet has also prompted criticism from lawmakers, ethics watchdogs and congressional Democrats. Critics have raised questions about security and whether accepting a foreign government’s aircraft, which The Guardian reported Trump intends to keep for his presidential library after leaving office, raises constitutional concerns under the emoluments clause. The Guardian reported that the Justice Department under Pam Bondi approved the arrangement in 2025.

The Air Force has estimated retrofit costs at under $400 million, The Guardian reported, though it remains unclear whether the upgrades Trump described Sunday are included in that estimate or would require additional work.