The United States Air Force says a luxury aircraft donated by Qatar and undergoing upgrades to serve as a temporary Air Force One could be delivered to President Donald Trump as soon as this summer, though officials have not set a firm handover date, according to a report published Thursday by the Wall Street Journal.
The plane, referred to by the Air Force as the VC-25 “bridge aircraft,” may make its public debut during July events commemorating the United States’ 250th anniversary, the report said.
In a statement to the Journal, the Air Force emphasized its focus on speeding the process. “The Air Force remains committed to expediting delivery of the VC-25 bridge aircraft in support of the Presidential airlift mission, with an anticipated delivery no later than summer 2026,” the service said.
The aircraft stems from a deal finalized in July between Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and Qatari Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Saoud bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, formalizing what was described as an “unconditional donation” of a 13-year-old luxury jet previously operated by Qatar’s royal family.
Interest in the delivery schedule intensified after one of the existing Air Force One planes suffered an electrical malfunction over the weekend. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt mentioned the incident during a briefing and joked that the Qatari aircraft is sounding “much better” by comparison.
Addressing the issue, Leavitt said, “The minor mechanical issue proves President Trump is right, and the new Air Force One will be a welcome donation to the United States Air Force, not just for the President, but for the entire AF1 crew.”
According to Aviation Week, Air Force officials have indicated that the retrofit of the donated plane will involve only limited changes, a factor expected to help keep the project on schedule and improve the chances of a summer delivery.
The Qatari jet is intended as an interim solution while Boeing continues work on the long-delayed next generation of Air Force One aircraft, a program that has been plagued by years of delays and escalating costs.
{Matzav.com}
Thus POTUS’ insistent stand that Qatar be included in the Gaza Rebuild plan is so starkly connected. כי השוחד יעור עיני פקחים. Well, Well, Well. Qatari support of Hamas is undeniable and now the airplane recipient wants us to think that they’re good people!
Why is it any more connected then Qatar being Biden lead negotiator with Hamas? This plane isn’t going to belong to Trump, but to the US. Qatar has been financing American college education, in as much as colleges are clear that Palestine is a muslim land stolen from them by Jews. That doesn’t bother you. It also doesn’t bother you that Qatar finaces Democrat party poliicians and the Democrat party with fortunes of money. But the minute Trump gets something, it’s an international crime.
Am I the only one who initially read this headline as “Qatari-DETONATED Jet”?