Secret Service forces Trump to use old Air Force One in high-risk areas due to lack of military-grade armor in new airplane

An unexpected change in President Donald Trump’s air travel plans has set off alarm bells in Washington regarding the true security capabilities of the new Air Force One.

During his return trip from the NATO summit in Turkey, the president had to board an old Boeing 747 to fly to the United Kingdom, before reboarding the brand-new jet he received as a gift from the government of Qatar.

An original report by The Hill revealed the deep concerns among lawmakers and experts regarding the armor plating of the new, modified commercial aircraft.

Although the White House downplayed the incident, citing “an abundance of caution” on the part of the Secret Service, the move coincided with an escalation of hostilities and explicit threats from Tehran.

Trump himself acknowledged the gravity of the situation to reporters, stating: “I’m number one on Iran’s hit list.” During takeoff from Turkish soil, authorities ordered the press to keep the window shades closed due to the proximity to the Iranian border.

Budget rush and technical vulnerability suspicions

The crux of the controversy lies in the time and money invested to transform the luxurious Qatari aircraft into what military jargon calls a “bridge aircraft,” intended to operate while Boeing completes its next-generation models, which have been delayed until 2028.

L3Harris Technologies carried out the refit in less than ten months at an estimated cost to the Air Force of $400 million. However, military aviation analysts believe these figures are insufficient to equip a presidential aircraft with the minimum survivability standards.

“The idea that that amount of time and money would be enough to get the job done is laughable,” said Richard Aboulafia, a military aviation consultant, in remarks to The Hill.

Aboulafia explained that an operational Air Force One requires advanced electronic countermeasures, anti-missile flare dispensers, shielding against nuclear electromagnetic pulses, and encrypted communication systems equivalent to those in the White House Situation Room.

Similarly, Jeremiah Gertler, a senior advisor at AeroDynamic Advisory, noted that the Air Force itself admitted to having left off certain systems “for the sake of simplicity.”