10.07.2026 13:21
US President Donald Trump, who drew attention by switching to the old Air Force One while traveling from Turkey to England after the NATO Summit, is back in the spotlight. According to the US press, the new Boeing 747 presidential aircraft, a gift from Qatar that has been modernized, lacks some critical security equipment found on the previous Air Force One, including the missile defense system. Trump, however, argued that the aircraft change was not related to security but to showing the new plane to the troops.
It drew attention that US President Donald Trump switched to the old Air Force One while traveling from Turkey to England after the NATO Summit. Following this notable change, a striking claim emerged in the US press that the new presidential plane, gifted by Qatar, lacks some critical security equipment, including a missile defense system.
HE SWITCHED PLANES AFTER THE NATO SUMMIT
The plane change made by US President Donald Trump after the NATO Leaders Summit hosted by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Ankara was discussed for days.
While traveling from Turkey to England, Trump used the old presidential plane instead of the modernized new Boeing 747-type Air Force One gifted by Qatar, and after landing at RAF Mildenhall Base in England, he switched back to the new Air Force One.
At that time, Trump said the plane change was not for security reasons but to show the new plane to US soldiers in England.
STRIKING CLAIM ABOUT THE NEW AIR FORCE ONE
According to reports in the US press, a striking new claim emerged after the plane change.
According to the claim, the new Boeing 747-type Air Force One, gifted by Qatar and put into service as the presidential plane, does not have some critical defense equipment, including the missile defense system present in the previous presidential plane.
"ALL SECURITY SYSTEMS COULD NOT BE INSTALLED"
Former US military officials alleged that due to the accelerated timeline of modernization efforts, all necessary security systems could not be integrated into the presidential plane.
The report also included a claim that defense system parts located on the wing and tail section of the old Air Force One are not present in the external appearance of the new plane.
35-YEAR-OLD FLEET MAKES WAY FOR NEW PLANE
The VC-25A type Boeing 747-200B aircraft that have served US presidents for about 35 years are being retired due to age.
Their place is being taken by a new Boeing 747-type Air Force One gifted by Qatar and modernized by the Pentagon and contractor L3Harris. However, security claims surrounding the new plane have sparked debates in the US.