{"id":3918,"date":"2026-07-25T15:04:33","date_gmt":"2026-07-25T15:04:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nextaddressamerica.com\/?p=3918"},"modified":"2026-07-25T15:04:33","modified_gmt":"2026-07-25T15:04:33","slug":"trumps-rushed-air-force-one-left-behind-massive-safety-featiures-nyt","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nextaddressamerica.com\/?p=3918","title":{"rendered":"Trump\u2019s rushed Air Force One left behind massive safety featiures: NYT"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

President Donald Trump was reportedly furious the day reports began to circulate that he had to switch planes to avoid safety hazards posed by his luxurious Qatari gift jet. But the extent of just how badly his precious prize from the Qatari royal family needed updates and the costs it required were not fully known until now.<\/p>\n

Read more A thousand-year-old legal principle is getting a workout under the Trump administration<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cTrump\u2019s February 2025 tour of the Qatari jet led to a frantic sprint inside the White House and the Pentagon,\u201d reports the New York Times. \u201cThe administration sought to upgrade the plane in time to meet his demand for it to be ready by the nation\u2019s 250th birthday this summer, with an accelerated retrofit.\u201d<\/p>\n

But an investigation by The New York Times found that the president\u2019s push to get the luxury aircraft ready fast led to ballooning costs and trade-offs in safety features that potentially left Trump and his Air Force One guests vulnerable.<\/p>\n

\u201cSeveral key security and safety features on the Boeing planes that have been used for decades as Air Force One are not visible on the upgraded jet, including a lower-level exit for high-risk situations, additional backup power capacity and an advanced antimissile system,\u201d reports the Times, citing public Air Force records and photographs.<\/p>\n

The 747-8 plane was overhauled on a compressed timeline of just about eight months, when experts said the jet needed several years for a full upgrade \u2014 costing taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars to purchase equipment to train pilots to fly the 747-8 plane so quickly, on top of the approximately $400 million cost of the upgrades that the administration has publicly acknowledged.<\/p>\n

The Times notes the Pentagon tried to mask the total price tag from Congress by snatching the funds from a classified budget for nuclear modernization.<\/p>\n

Read more Inside the room as Trump\u2019s allies admit this will be a \u2018hate election\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cHundreds of miles of electrical wiring and electronic components have to be shielded from an electromagnetic pulse, such as from a nuclear weapon detonation,\u201d said the Times. \u201cThe official planes also require a second small engine \u2014 known as an auxiliary power unit \u2014 to be installed near the rear of the jet to serve as a backup for communication systems and other vital electronics gear. They also need some of the most advanced communications equipment and what the Pentagon has called a \u201cself-defense system.\u201d<\/p>\n

The company overseeing Trump\u2019s rocket-speed outfitting schedule assigned as many as 400 employees, working around the clock over three shifts, to supercharge the effort. The rushed process also led to costs far beyond the roughly $400 million in taxpayer money that the Air Force estimated would be spent to retrofit the jet. And even then, it was clear there would be some limits, including bulkhead adjustments and no upgraded safety exits. And curious the arrangement of seats offered their own safety issues.<\/p>\n

\u201cDuring that process, the Air Force had to accelerate training for its pilots, as the 747-8 has a different cockpit than the old jets. To do so, the Air Force leased an Atlas Air cargo 747-8 jet from October until February, a plane that costs hundreds of thousands of dollars a month, to use for \u2018interim pilot qualification training,\u2019\u201d the Times reports. \u201cThe Air Force did not disclose how much it paid for the lease.\u201d<\/p>\n

Because of the deadline, the Air Force moved in December to buy yet another expensive 747-8, to serve as a \u201cdedicated trainer aircraft for aircrew\u201d so that the Pentagon had \u201cimmediate operational readiness,\u201d the Air Force said in a statement. It also purchased a second plane to supply spare parts. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe total cost for both: another $400 million,\u201d according to an anonymous Air Force official said.<\/p>\n

Read more The bitter truth behind why Trump\u2019s base will never walk away<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

President Donald Trump was reportedly furious the day reports began to circulate that he had to switch planes to avoid safety hazards posed by his luxurious Qatari gift jet. 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