Qatar-donated Air Force One taken offline for ‘Maxed Out’ security upgrades – One America News Network

OAN Staff Lillian Mann
10:28 AM – Tuesday, July 21, 2026

President Donald Trump confirmed that the newly acquired Air Force One — a Boeing 747-8 donated by Qatar — will be temporarily taken out of service for security upgrades, including advanced anti-missile defense systems. The announcement comes shortly after Trump flew an older Air Force One model home from the NATO leaders’ summit in Turkey.

“It has a lot of potential, but my understanding is that in about a month, they’re going to send it off to be fully upgraded,” Trump told reporters at Joint Base Andrews upon returning to Washington from the World Cup final in New Jersey.

“So they’re going to be sending it, and they’ll have it be maxed out. It’ll take about a month,” the president added.

On Monday, White House Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed the move once more.

“The new Air Force One is perfectly safe for the president’s travels, but will receive additional upgrades and enhancements in the fall which will take approximately one month to complete,” Leavitt said. “During that time, the President will fly on the old Air Force One.”

Gifted by Qatar’s royal family last year, the aircraft had already undergone substantial refitting prior to the president’s inaugural flight on July 1^st. Nonetheless, officials are now adding a second layer of security enhancements to ensure maximum protection.