President Donald Trump said Sunday that the Boeing 747-8 donated by Qatar to serve as a temporary Air Force One will soon undergo additional upgrades, adding the aircraft will be "maxed out" with enhanced capabilities.
Speaking to reporters after returning to Joint Base Andrews from the FIFA Club World Cup final in New Jersey, Trump was asked why he was flying on the Qatari aircraft despite reports that it lacks the same antimissile defenses as the traditional Air Force One fleet.
"Well, it has — it has a lot, and you know 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 said. "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 upgrades the aircraft would receive, though his remarks appeared to acknowledge the retrofitted jet does not yet match the full defensive capabilities of the two specially built VC-25 aircraft that have served as Air Force One for decades.
The roughly 14-year-old Boeing 747-8, valued at about $400 million, was donated by Qatar and is serving as what the administration has described as a "bridge" aircraft while Boeing completes two long-delayed next-generation presidential jets.
The aircraft has drawn scrutiny since Trump traveled aboard it to the NATO summit in Turkey earlier this month before switching back to one of the older Air Force One planes for part of his return trip.
According to multiple reports, security officials were more comfortable using the purpose-built presidential aircraft for that portion of the journey because it includes specialized defensive systems developed specifically for transporting the commander in chief.
Administration officials have maintained the donated aircraft underwent extensive modifications before entering presidential service and already possesses significant security capabilities.
The issue also sparked a leak investigation after reports detailing the aircraft's defensive limitations appeared in The New York Times.
According to the Times and CNN, the White House directed the FBI to investigate the unauthorized disclosure of sensitive information, resulting in subpoenas being served on several Times reporters.
The newspaper has said it will fight the subpoenas in court.
Trump has repeatedly criticized Boeing over years of delays in delivering the next-generation Air Force One fleet, arguing the replacement aircraft should have been completed long ago.
Until those new presidential jets enter service, the Qatar-donated aircraft is expected to remain part of the presidential fleet, with Trump now indicating additional security upgrades are expected within weeks.