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The Air Force has officially estimated that it will cost less than $400 million to retrofit a luxury Boeing 747-8 gifted by the Qatari government for use as a temporary Air Force One during President Donald Trump’s term.
Some shit you should know before you read: If you’re unaware, Qatar recently handed over a luxury Boeing 747-8 aircraft to the United States as a gift intended for use by President Donald Trump as a temporary Air Force One. The aircraft, originally part of the Qatar royal family’s fleet of VIP aircraft, is estimated to be worth around $400 million and is outfitted with high-end interiors suitable for heads of state. The gift came amid persistent delays in the US Air Force’s primary presidential aircraft replacement program, known as VC-25B, which began in 2015 and involves modifying two Boeing 747-8s purchased under a $3.9 billion fixed-price contract. Originally scheduled for delivery in 2024, the program has been pushed back to 2027–2029, frustrating Trump and prompting the Defense Department to accept Qatar’s aircraft as a stopgap measure to fill the operational void.
What’s going on now: In a notable development, Air Force Secretary Troy Meink told lawmakers that the cost to retrofit the luxury Boeing 747-8 gifted by Qatar for presidential use would “probably [be] less than $400 million,” directly challenging claims from Democratic lawmakers and aviation experts that the effort could balloon to over $1 billion. “There’s been a number thrown around on the order of a billion dollars,” Meink acknowledged during a House Armed Services Committee hearing, “but many of the associated costs are expenses we would be facing anyway.” He emphasized that elements such as training and spare parts had already been budgeted under the existing VC-25B program, meaning the Air Force wouldn’t be “paying for them twice.”
Meink was pressed by Rep. Joe Courtney, who argued that “you can’t retrofit a plane that’s built for another purpose for Air Force One and expect it to be a free plane,” citing the extensive requirements to convert the aircraft into a flying command center. Those requirements include encrypted and secure communications systems, electronic countermeasures, hardened structural defenses, missile defense suites, and the ability to function as a mobile national security command post. Meink confirmed that “much of that information is classified,” but reiterated that “we believe the actual retrofit of that aircraft is probably less than $400 million.”
Although Meink did not provide a specific timeline for the conversion process, he conceded that modifying a civilian aircraft of this complexity is a “monumental task.” According to defense officials and intelligence experts, the aircraft will likely need to be stripped down to its frame before being rebuilt with military-grade systems. The Air Force is reportedly preparing to award a classified contract for the retrofit, with defense contractor L3Harris expected to perform the work in Texas.
