First Lady Melania Trump laughs as she watches US President Donald Trump cut with a saber right into a cake representation of the brand new Air Force One design throughout the Commander-In-Chief inaugural ball on the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, DC, on Jan. 20, 2025.
Patrick T. Fallon | AFP | Getty Images
The U.S. is working with L3Harris Technologies to change a used Qatari government jumbo jet in what could turn into a brand new presidential plane, in response to an individual acquainted with the matter who wasn’t authorized to talk to the media.
The work comes after President Donald Trump earlier this yr expressed frustration about delays in modification work from Boeing. Trump struck a cope with Boeing in his first term to retrofit two 747s to function the subsequent Air Force One aircraft. But after delays, the planes may not be ready before the tip of his term.
L3Harris and Boeing declined to comment. The White House didn’t immediately comment.
Trump told reporters in February that he’s considering alternatives for the delayed Boeing 747s, which have cost Boeing greater than $2 billion in overruns.
“We may buy a plane or get a plane, or something,” he said, in response to a Reuters report on the time, as he toured the Qatari 747 that was parked at Florida’s Palm Beach International Airport.
Boeing’s CEO, Kelly Ortberg, said on an April 23 earnings call that “we proceed to work with the shopper to revise this system plan to permit for an earlier first delivery while maintaining our deal with safety and quality.”
Considered one of the Boeing 747s used as Air Force One, parked at Palm Beach International Airport.
Leslie Josephs | CNBC
Ortberg said in January that the corporate had been working with Trump advisor Elon Musk to deliver the planes sooner.
Despite Trump’s frustration with Boeing’s delays in delivering the brand new Air Force One planes, the U.S. Air Force in March awarded Boeing a contract to construct the country’s next-generation fighter jet, a deal analysts estimate to be value around $20 billion or more.
“By way of the entire attributes of a fighter jet, there’s never been anything even near it, from speed to maneuverability, to what it could possibly have, to payload. And this has been within the works for a protracted time frame,” Trump said in a news release on March 21. “America’s enemies won’t ever see it coming.”
