Trump's Qatari 747 may need fighter escorts to serve as Air Force One

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Source: Reuters

Trump's Qatari 747 may need fighter escorts to serve as Air Force One

By Mike Stone, David Shepardson and Tim Hepher
May 15, 20257:18 AM EDTUpdated 43 min ago


The motorcade of U.S. President Donald Trump is parked next to a 12-year old Qatari-owned Boeing 747-8 that Trump was touring in West Palm Beach, Florida, U.S., February 15, 2025.

Summary
• Plane could be restricted to flying inside US unless significant upgrades made, experts say
• Trump could waive specific safety requirements, if he chooses
• Trump has dismissed criticism of his plan to receive and use the plane

WASHINGTON, May 15 (Reuters) - A Boeing 747 jet offered to President Donald Trump by Qatar as a temporary flying White House might need fighter jet escorts and could be restricted to flying inside the U.S. unless significant costly security upgrades were made, aviation experts and industry sources said.

Even if numerous improvements to the plane's communications and defenses are made over the coming months once any deal is completed, the military escort and domestic restriction could remain in place, the experts and sources said.

{snip}

Read more: https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/trumps-qatari-747-may-need-fighter-escorts-serve-air-force-one-2025-05-15/

---

That’s not a bug; that’s a feature.

[gab13by13]

1. It's a freaking bribe.

It's illegal and unconstitutional, period.

Saying that it would need fighter jets to accompany it is nothing more than a right wing talking point.

The fucking plane would need to be torn down, need to be retro-fitted. This work would need to be done by people who have top security clearances and there aren't that many people who qualify. They are already working on building 2 AF 1's. It would take at least 2 years for that bribe to be allowed to fly.

Democrats are horrible at messaging, they repeat right wing talking points.

The plane is a bribe. eom.

[AloeVera]

6. It can be both.

A plane thoroughly unsuited for its intended function, requiring not just costly retrofitting but extra military security in the form of fighter jets not required in the past -- AND a bribe.

I think that pointing out it will need fighter jets because it is so inadequate on its own serves OUR talking points, not theirs.

[jmowreader]

16. At least?

The thing about the “top security clearances” is he’s having it modified by a defense contractor who already has cleared personnel. Once you’ve got a TS clearance getting more compartments added to it is not all that hard.

However, the part about needing to totally gut this aircraft is completely accurate. It probably won’t be ready for use until it’s time to hand it over to Trump’s shell company.

[tanyev]

2. Oh, he'd love that. Probably demand the fighter jets get a matching paint job.

*smh*

[magicarpet]

7. Why can't the fighter jet escort planes for the Palace in the Sky - 747 Fit For A King,....

..... not be painted with 24 carat gold paint ? That would appear so regal and luxurious. One can only hope the Flying Palace is outfitted with solid golden toilets and gold leaf toilet paper too.

[marble falls]

3. We'll get those from Oman.

[gab13by13]

4. Talking about what needs to be done for Krasnov to keep this plane

justifies his taking a bribe.

No wonder Democrats can't get the MSM to push its narratives.

The freaking plane is illegal and a bribe.

[NH Ethylene]

14. And the media repeating that there is uncertainty about the legality of accepting this

Just irks me to no end. It's clearly illegal and he plans to violate the law and do it anyway. (He would be "stupid" not to, right?)

[littlemissmartypants]

5. Turning Qatari 747 into Air Force One could cost $1 billion and take years, experts say

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/national-security/turning-qatari-747-air-force-one-cost-1-billion-take-years-experts-say-rcna206582

[Turbineguy]

8. As long as it doesn't cost him money, who cares?

[IronLionZion]

9. Air Force One gets fighter jet escorts anyway

that's not the issue here

[mahatmakanejeeves]

10. I live under a departure route for Andrews. I don't see them.

I don’t hear them either. If they were there, I would.

And good morning.

[IronLionZion]

11. They are more for international flights

then the host country will escort once it enters their air space

Here are Qatari jets escorting Air Force One

[Angleae]

17. They wouldn't be based at Andrews but at a actual fighter base, such as Langley AFB.

[Buddyzbuddy]

12. This shouldn't even be a conversation, let alone a consideration.

This "report" as I see it, is an attempt to present acceptable conditions for the acceptance and use of this "gift".
At which point does bending over backwards lead to a broken back? Who knew the Republican party could be so flexible. This is the same party that had a problem with tan suits, emails and bj's.

[Mr.Bee]

13. Trojan Horse

may also be a flying bomb...
...and whose finger will be on the trigger?

[Dennis Donovan]

15. Forbes: Why The Qataris Are Happy To Dump Their 747 On Trump

Forbes - (archived: https://archive.ph/VNBhU ) Why The Qataris Are Happy To Dump Their 747 On Trump

ByJeremy Bogaisky, Forbes Staff. Senior editor covering aerospace and defense
May 14, 2025, 05:42pm EDT, Updated May 15, 2025, 11:43am EDT

The president may be thirsting for a new four-engine jumbo jet, but many governments and royal families are unloading their fuel-guzzling palaces in the sky.

The royal family of Qatar, owner of one of the largest private jet fleets in the world, has been quietly getting rid of some of its biggest planes. It may have found the perfect taker for one of its Boeing 747 jumbo jets in President Donald Trump, who has been frustrated with the multi-year delays in replacing Air Force One.

While many have speculated that the Qataris have offered Trump the luxurious plane to curry favor with the famously transactional president, there may be a simpler rationale: they just don’t want it anymore.

The royals have failed to sell the plane, which was put on the market in 2020, according to an archived listing. Giving it away could save Qatar’s rulers a big chunk of change on maintenance and storage costs, aviation experts told Forbes. Making Trump happy would be an added bonus.

Qatar, which has given away another blinged-out 747 and may have mothballed two more, epitomizes the fading demand for these huge, fuel-guzzling, highly personalized airplanes. There aren’t many who want to buy them, and many of the governments and royal families who own them have been trying to ditch them over the past decade.

“Qatar, like many modern states, is shifting toward leaner, more versatile aircraft, which offer better economics and more discreet presence for official travel,” Linus Bauer, managing director of the Dubai-based aviation consulting firm BAA & Partners, told Forbes. Giving the plane to Trump would be “a creative disposal strategy” that marks “a farewell to a bygone model of geopolitical theater in the skies.

/snip

[LetMyPeopleVote]

18. This plane is a white elephant that is too big

This plane has been on the market for five years and there are no buyers. This plane uses a ton of fuel and can only land on special runways. trump is bailing out a member of the royal family by taking a plane that is not marketable.

"Why The Qataris Are Happy To Dump Their 747 On Trump"

"There may be a simpler rationale: they just don’t want it anymore."

@jeremybogaisky.bsky.social for @forbes.com

— Zach Everson (@zacheverson.com) 2025-05-15T17:36:13.733Z

Why The Qataris Are Happy To Dump Their 747 On Trump"

"There may be a simpler rationale: they just don’t want it anymore."

Link to tweet

https://www.forbes.com/sites/jeremybogaisky/2025/05/14/qatar-747-trump

The royal family of Qatar, owner of one of the largest private jet fleets in the world, has been quietly getting rid of some of its biggest planes. It may have found the perfect taker for one of its Boeing 747 jumbo jets in President Donald Trump, who has been frustrated with the multi-year delays in replacing Air Force One.,....

The royals have failed to sell the plane, which was put on the market in 2020, according to an archived listing. Giving it away could save Qatar’s rulers a big chunk of change on maintenance and storage costs, aviation experts told Forbes. Making Trump happy would be an added bonus.

Qatar, which has given away another blinged-out 747 and may have mothballed two more, epitomizes the fading demand for these huge, fuel-guzzling, highly personalized airplanes. There aren’t many who want to buy them, and many of the governments and royal families who own them have been trying to ditch them over the past decade.

“Qatar, like many modern states, is shifting toward leaner, more versatile aircraft, which offer better economics and more discreet presence for official travel,” Linus Bauer, managing director of the Dubai-based aviation consulting firm BAA & Partners, told Forbes. Giving the plane to Trump would be “a creative disposal strategy” that marks “a farewell to a bygone model of geopolitical theater in the skies.”.....

Beyond poor fuel efficiency, large ostentatious planes are a security risk, notes Richard Aboulafia, an aerospace consultant with Aerodynamic Advisory. “These things are big targets.” And bigger planes can only land on longer runways, limiting their usage. “There are a lot more airports you can get into if you have a narrowbody, and many more still if you have a traditional business jet,” he said......

Giving the 747-8 to the U.S. would also allow the Qataris to avoid maintenance costs that are only getting higher with the 747 fleet shrinking worldwide and fewer mechanics available who know how to work on them, said John Goglia, a former airline mechanic and member of the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board. The 2020 sales brochure noted that the plane was due for a landing gear overhaul in 2024 and a 12-year check in 2027. A check in which the airplane and engines are taken apart, typically carried out every six to 12 years, can take months to complete and cost millions of dollars. “The numbers are staggering,” said Goglia.

[Wonder Why]

19. Secret Service officers are supposed to throw themselves on top of the president in case of

an attack. Does this mean that the fighter jets must fly onto the top of the 747, causing it to crash? Hmmm!