President Trump confirmed late Sunday that the Qatar-donated jet serving as Air Force One will have to be taken out of service to boost its anti-missile defenses after he was forced to use an earlier-model plane to depart the NATO leaders summit in Turkey earlier this month.
“You know it has a lot of capability, but as I understand it, in about a month or so, they’re going to send it to have it be maxed out,” Trump told reporters at Joint Base Andrews after returning to Washington from the World Cup final in New Jersey.
“So they’re going to be sending it, and they’ll have it be maxed out. It’ll take about a month.”
Trump, 80, announced July 8 that he would take the older plane to RAF Mildenhall in England from the summit in Ankara, ostensibly so that American forces stationed at the UK base could tour the luxurious new aircraft.
However, speculation quickly swirled that security concerns caused by the war with Iran were the true reason for the last-minute switch.
US officials have long refused to allow up-close photos of the older Air Force One’s rear, suggesting that the plane is equipped with technology to stop any attempt to shoot it down.
