Overview

• Air Force Secretary Troy Meink told Congress on June 5 that the retrofit of the 13-year-old Qatar-gifted Boeing 747 will likely cost less than $400 million, significantly below earlier estimates of more than $1 billion.
• The jet must be stripped to the frame and rebuilt to install encrypted communications, missile defenses and other classified systems similar to the long-delayed VC-25B replacements.
• President Trump has urged rapid deployment of the interim aircraft as Boeing pushes the delivery of two new 747-8 Air Force One jets to 2027 or later.
• Some lawmakers and legal experts have questioned the ethics and national security implications of accepting a foreign-owned gift for presidential transport.
• The Air Force is preparing a classified retrofit contract with L3Harris to begin modifications, with no public timeline for the jet’s first presidential mission.