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Trump to Fly Old Air Force One to UK; New Presidential Jet to Debut for Troops
President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that he will fly in the current Air Force One from Turkey to the United Kingdom "for old time’s sake," according to a post on Truth Social. The new presidential aircraft will also fly to the same destination, RAF Mildenhall in the UK.
The newly overhauled Air Force One is being sent to the base so that U.S. service members stationed there can be the first to tour the aircraft. "Everybody is so excited and we thought that they should be the first," Trump wrote in his post.
The new plane is a Boeing 747 that was gifted to the United States by Qatar last year. It has since been refitted by defense contractor L3Harris Technologies. The aircraft features a new red, white, dark blue, and gold livery personally chosen by Trump, marking a significant change from the iconic blue and white design used for decades.
AdThe acceptance and retrofitting of the Qatari jet had previously drawn some scrutiny. Experts noted that converting the luxury jet for presidential use required extensive and costly upgrades, including enhanced security systems, advanced communications to prevent eavesdropping, and missile defense capabilities.