Donald Trump’s unusual switch of planes during his trip back from the NATO summit might have revealed a major problem with his dream of having the most luxurious jet ever.He traveled to Turkey in the new $400 million Boeing 747-8 that Qatar gave him, but then unexpectedly returned to the older Air Force One before leaving Ankara, as tensions with Iran were a big concern during the trip.
Trump said the new plane was being sent to Britain so military personnel at RAF Mildenhall could see it, but few believed that.
The Associated Press reported a more realistic reason – the new aircraft doesn’t have important missile-detection and countermeasure systems that the older presidential jet has.
Now, a group of Senate Democrats led by Chris Murphy and Elizabeth Warren is asking for answers about the fast-tracked retrofit program that turned Qatar’s luxury jumbo jet into Trump’s temporary Air Force One.
Their letter from yesterday says that L3Harris placed about 400 employees on the project and cut down work that usually takes years into just 10 months to meet Trump’s July 4 deadline.
If the administration rushed hundreds of workers, moved Pentagon funds, and reduced the usual upgrade package to satisfy Trump’s deadline, the senators asked, then Americans deserve to know if the aircraft was truly ready for presidential use or just ready for a photo op.
The senators asked the right questions: what the rush cost, what resources were diverted, which upgrades were skipped, what additional work remains, and what extra security measures will be needed when the plane operates as Air Force One?
Reuters reported that experts have raised concerns about both the cost and the completeness of the modifications, while Democrats estimate the overhaul might have gone over $1 billion.
So the real reason behind the switch may be that Trump wanted the flashiest presidential aircraft for his July 4 celebration, but when his trip moved through a more dangerous area, he ended up back on the old plane with the proven security systems.
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