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In reply to the discussion: Trump says he'd be 'stupid' to turn down Qatar's offer of a new plane [View all]LetMyPeopleVote
(166,407 posts)34. Turning Qatari 747 into Air Force One could cost $1 billion and take years, experts say
Plane has been available on an unprotected runway for a long time for various groups to plant spyware and tracking devices. This plane may have to stripped down to the frame to check for extra hardware/spyware. It will NOT be cheap to get this plane to be ready to be Air Force One.
Turning Qatari 747 into Air Force One could cost billion and take years, experts say
— MSNBC (@msnbc.com) 2025-05-13T22:28:19.405Z
Link to tweet
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/national-security/turning-qatari-747-air-force-one-cost-1-billion-take-years-experts-say-rcna206582
Converting a Qatari-owned 747 jet into a new Air Force One for President Donald Trump would involve installing multiple top-secret systems, cost over $1 billion and take years to complete, three aviation experts told NBC News.
They said that accepting the 13-year-old jet would likely cost U.S. taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars over time, noting that refurbishing the commercial plane would exceed its current value of $400 million. The project might also not be completed by the end of Trumps term in 2029, at which time the plane is expected to be handed over to Trumps presidential library foundation.
Richard Aboulafia, an analyst and consultant on commercial and military aviation, said he thought turning the Qatari jetliner into Air Force One would cost billions and take years.
Youre taking a 747, disassembling it, reassembling it, and then jacking it up to a very high level, said Aboulafia, a managing director at AeroDynamic Advisory, a consulting firm......
The Qatari jumbo jet would have to be effectively dismantled, part by part, to ensure there were no listening devices, spyware or other security vulnerabilities that could allow foreign powers to eavesdrop on the presidents plane.
It would then have to be fitted with costly, sophisticated systems for secure government communications, midair refueling, missile defense, countering electronic jamming and protecting against electro-magnetic pulse attack. There would likely need to be quarters added for White House medical staff and the Secret Service.
They said that accepting the 13-year-old jet would likely cost U.S. taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars over time, noting that refurbishing the commercial plane would exceed its current value of $400 million. The project might also not be completed by the end of Trumps term in 2029, at which time the plane is expected to be handed over to Trumps presidential library foundation.
Richard Aboulafia, an analyst and consultant on commercial and military aviation, said he thought turning the Qatari jetliner into Air Force One would cost billions and take years.
Youre taking a 747, disassembling it, reassembling it, and then jacking it up to a very high level, said Aboulafia, a managing director at AeroDynamic Advisory, a consulting firm......
The Qatari jumbo jet would have to be effectively dismantled, part by part, to ensure there were no listening devices, spyware or other security vulnerabilities that could allow foreign powers to eavesdrop on the presidents plane.
It would then have to be fitted with costly, sophisticated systems for secure government communications, midair refueling, missile defense, countering electronic jamming and protecting against electro-magnetic pulse attack. There would likely need to be quarters added for White House medical staff and the Secret Service.
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Trump says he'd be 'stupid' to turn down Qatar's offer of a new plane [View all]
BumRushDaShow
May 12
OP
Modern conservatives would MUCH rather look unethical than stupid. Which--ironically enough--makes them both.
Karasu
May 12
#21
That's Trump in a nutshell. He thinks anyone who doesn't accept a bribe is stupid.
Martin68
May 12
#9
A $400 million shiny object takes media attention away from Lump's meme coin grift
Ponietz
May 12
#10
I could just imagine the outrage and indignation if President's Clinton, Obama and Biden took the same deal
kimbutgar
May 12
#14
No it really doesn't make any difference whether *rump accepts it or not, he's still stupid, and
Uncle Joe
May 12
#17
This is fall of the Roman Empire shit. Besides, he doesn't need to DO anything to be fucking stupid. He does that
Karasu
May 12
#22
Maddow Blog-Trump scrambles to defend luxury jet from Qatar he'll use as Air Force One
LetMyPeopleVote
May 12
#28
Turning Qatari 747 into Air Force One could cost $1 billion and take years, experts say
LetMyPeopleVote
May 13
#34