Qatari jet completed classified security upgrades before use as Air Force One

The White House stated that a jet received from Qatar last year has been fitted with high-level security protocols. Officials said the upgrades ensure the safety of the president and staff amid threats from adversaries. The Air Force began security modifications in September, completing the work in roughly ten months.

The service described the changes as support for executive airlift and classified all further details.

Cost and timeline estimates One Air Force official told Congress last year the upgrades would cost less than $400 million. Aviation experts and some Democratic lawmakers have estimated the total near $1 billion. Experts told NBC News the work likely included dismantling the aircraft to check for listening devices, installing secure communications, missile defense, midair refueling, and electromagnetic countermeasures.

They said full completion of such systems could take years.

Expert concerns A former Biden administration Air Force official told the New York Times that communications upgrades could be finished quickly but that significant structural work would require more than one year. Another former Air Force secretary questioned whether the aircraft received all protective measures normally present on Air Force One.

Democratic senators wrote to the Air Force last August alleging that nearly $1 billion in taxpayer funds would be used and that funds from a nuclear modernization program might be redirected. They also expressed concern that the aircraft would be donated to a presidential library foundation after only a few years of service.

The aircraft made its first flight as Air Force One last week on a domestic trip and its first international flight to a NATO summit.