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LetMyPeopleVote

(166,407 posts)
34. Turning Qatari 747 into Air Force One could cost $1 billion and take years, experts say
Tue May 13, 2025, 08:20 PM
May 13

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



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 Trump’s term in 2029, at which time the plane is expected to be handed over to Trump’s 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.

“You’re 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 president’s 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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Article I, Section 9, Clause 8 of the United States Constitution IronLionZion May 12 #1
We need to amend a lot of stuff in the Constitution to "OR ELSE". Bengus81 May 12 #16
Or else what? IronLionZion May 12 #18
For 77 more weeks they do............. Bengus81 May 12 #20
i think the word is ethical samsingh May 12 #2
Modern conservatives would MUCH rather look unethical than stupid. Which--ironically enough--makes them both. Karasu May 12 #21
Of course he would be stupid gab13by13 May 12 #3
He's desperate for that plane. greatauntoftriplets May 12 #4
The US isn't getting squat. Balatro May 12 #5
That aircraft will NEVER set beside some Library baking in the Florida sun. Bengus81 May 12 #19
Most criminals are STUPID IA8IT May 12 #6
Trump thinks people who don't take bribes are stupid. Irish_Dem May 12 #7
Got news for you Fat Boy liberalgunwilltravel May 12 #8
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
Little trump dude, you are stupid. republianmushroom May 12 #11
Stupid has already been broke. BurnDoubt May 12 #12
I bet that's what Adam said about the apple. BurnDoubt May 12 #13
I could just imagine the outrage and indignation if President's Clinton, Obama and Biden took the same deal kimbutgar May 12 #14
Instead, he's stupid for accepting it. OAITW r.2.0 May 12 #15
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
how can we tell if it has a hidden kill switch? would be bad for the crew nt msongs May 12 #23
He can still be stupid and not take the plane. Turbineguy May 12 #24
He was hit with the permanant stupid stick long ago. twodogsbarking May 12 #25
Not stupid. Just the possessor of a newly minted conscience. marble falls May 12 #26
Trump is already stupid ...nt Jarqui May 12 #27
Maddow Blog-Trump scrambles to defend luxury jet from Qatar he'll use as Air Force One LetMyPeopleVote May 12 #28
In upside down world .. Xoan May 12 #29
I wonder if he even has the slightest idea DENVERPOPS May 12 #30
Make America Gilded Again Marcuse May 12 #31
Who will put the handcuffs on this crook? travelingthrulife May 13 #32
Well he Rebl2 May 13 #33
Turning Qatari 747 into Air Force One could cost $1 billion and take years, experts say LetMyPeopleVote May 13 #34
Of course he'd be stupid. Grim Chieftain May 13 #35
Why The Qataris Are Happy To Dump Their 747 On Trump LetMyPeopleVote May 15 #36
LOL trump may be figuring things out LetMyPeopleVote May 18 #37
Total cost of ownership Retrograde May 18 #38
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