President Donald Trump yesterday got a look at his upgraded Boeing 747, a plane gifted by Qatar, at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland as the aircraft neared delivery to join the Air Force One fleet.
“This is considered the world’s most luxurious plane. When it was built, it was built at a level that will probably never be seen again,” Trump told a crowd in a new hangar at the base.
The jumbo aircraft, offered by Qatar as a gift last year, was overhauled by defence contractor L3Harris Technologies and has been flight-tested and painted in a red, white, dark blue and gold livery chosen by Trump, marking a departure from the iconic design used on Air Force One for decades.
Trump said the upgrade was necessary to keep pace with more modern aircraft flown by foreign leaders.
“These countries have a lot of respect for us, and yet they have a plane that’s much newer and much better. It’s a little ridiculous,” Trump said.
Trump said the rest of the Air Force One fleet will have the new design.
The addition to Trump’s fleet provides a more modern and luxurious plane that the president, his aides, security detail and the media will travel in.
The upgrade’s cost has not been disclosed and it was done so quickly that some experts fear it may not be as secure as the existing Air Force One aircraft.
The Air Force’s fast-track effort skipped some planned modifications for the next-generation presidential jet in order to deliver an interim version sooner, but officials said it was up to presidential standards.
“The safety and security of the commander in chief is our highest priority,” Secretary of the Air Force Troy Meink said in a statement.
“From the beginning, we meticulously evaluated every requirement to accelerate delivery while maintaining the high standards expected of the presidential mission.”
Trump told the crowd the aircraft will lead a formation he described as the ‘biggest flyover in American history’ during a July 4 ceremony scheduled for the National Mall.
“This is going to lead a group of many, many planes,” Trump said.
Trump returned from Europe on Thursday morning aboard a military-grade Boeing 747-200 that has served US presidents for more than three decades.
Trump said it was the aircraft’s final trip, adding that it would ultimately be placed in a museum.
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