Key Points
–Money is ‘excess’ from 2024
–Troubled Sentinel missile program won’t be affected
–747 to be ready in 2026
The Air Force is using what it says is “excess” money in a nuclear missile program to fund at least part of the modifications to a former Qatari Boeing 747-8 to make it suitable for presidential transport. Air Force Secretary Troy Meink told a congressional hearing last week that the money was diverted from building the LGM-35A Sentinel intercontinental ballistic missiles and the support infrastructure for them. The program will replace the current 400 Minuteman III missiles deployed in silos across the northern part of the country.
Meink stressed that the diversion of funds will have no impact on the missile program. “Let me be very clear, the Sentinel program is fully funded [and has] all the resources it needs to execute as quickly as possible,” Meink told the defense appropriations subcommittee. That seems to be at odds with the Air Force’s decision in March to pause some aspects of the Sentinel program because of ballooning costs. The missiles and their gear were supposed to cost $100 billion but that has ballooned to $200 billion. Meink didn’t say how much missile money, which he said was “excess to need in 2024,” will go into the 747 mods, which Meink had earlier said will cost $400 million. Critics have called that estimate optimistic and are predicting it to grow to as much as $1 billion.
The aircraft, which was used by the Qatari royal family for about 12 years, was donated to the Air Force, and once it’s fit for a president will become the primary Air Force One. After that it will be transferred to President Donald Trump’s presidential library. Depending on how long it takes to install the security and defense gear, the Air Force may only use the plane for a year or so.
Can someone please tell me why when this aircraft has been donated to the USAF and Air Force budget is being used (legally ?) for upgrading, it suddenly becomes Trump property at the end of his reign (sic)
Hmmmm, I missed where it says Trump will own it??? Just because it is on static display doesn’t mean ownership changes. It will be no different than the one sitting inside Reagan’s library.
I found this in regards to that aircraft. “The airplane at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, known as Air Force One 27000, is owned by the U.S. Air Force and is on permanent loan to the library. The maintenance costs are typically covered by the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation, which manages the library.”
So Reagan and the library don’t own it they just pay the maintenance costs for an Air Force asset.
Now if you want to talk about the money being used to upfit the aircraft for AF1 service and whether that’s a good idea, then i could side with you on the waste but Boeing is responsible for the delays on the new AF1s. Maybe they should be paying the upfit casts as a penalty on the contract.
“Meink stressed that the diversion of funds will have no impact on the missile program. “Let me be very clear, the Sentinel program is fully funded [and has] all the resources it needs to execute as quickly as possible.”
Really? So, the missile program was over-funded? Any other military programs in need of auditing for excess funds?
Also, why is the newly refurbished plane going to be taken out of service within just a few years of a taxpayer-funded high-tech upgrade?
Where is DOGE when we need them?
The deal, as previously reported, includes the AF transferring ownership to the Trump Library Foundation in January 2029 (prior to swearing in new president). There are no restrictions on how the plane can be used. The thought is that the Foundation will keep it in flying condition for use by Trump. This may or may not be true.
Prior to the transfer of ownership, the AF must pay to have all the sensitive/classified AF1 equipment and mods removed. This so called “free airplane”, that will be used for a couple years at the most, isn’t such a great deal for the US taxpayer.
Just a few points:
Who cares, when money grows on low hanging trees.
The Qatari 747 may be mothballed when the Trump presidential library foundation accepts the donation or it may not. The foundation may decide that it can easily raise the funds to operate it. The papers to establish the nonprofit were just filed in May 2025. There are 3 directors: Trump’s son Eric, his son-in-law Michael Boulos (Tiffany’s husband) and an attorney. I’ll let you decide whether the plane will be mothballed or used by the Trump family.
So, it may cost $1 Billion to prepare a plane for one year’s service, then we give it away to a private organization to use as they (Trump) seems fit, or in worst case, perhaps even give it or sell it to him for his exclusive personal use? And I assume many of the modifications will be secret and have to be removed, at tax payer expense, before ownership transfer. How is this a sensible, prudent, or even legal use of your money and mine?
It makes perfect sense in the Carrollean universe in which we find ourselves these days, WBJohn. Cutting food and medicine for starving children worldwide, threatening our closest friends and neighbors, flagrant self-aggrandizing corruption not seen since Warren G. Harding, and you’re worried about a couple of hundred million dollars so a past-president (we sincerely hope, but aren’t certain) can travel in style? You obviously are not a True American.
It’s kinda of funny that Biden rides on an American A319 the other day and is criticized for bumping a passenger back to coach while Trump is getting 300 million taxpayers to pay a billion dollars so he can ride around in a 747 with golden toilet seats.
If the names Biden and Trump where replaced by alternatives, who would it be? [Insert your favorite character] and Homer Simpson… ?
If it was for me, both would travel on a mule and both (including all of Congress and Senate) would not get close to any modern form of transportation.
I agree with everything you said until after “Warren G. Harding”… You neglected to mention his incessant lying, criminal activity (for which he was convicted), his grifting and violating the emoluments clause, and his ghastly choices for leadership and cabinet positions. I’m not only worried about “a couple hundred million dollars,” but the topic of this particular article was the 747, so that was what I commented on. You’d do well to tone down your judgmentalism when you don’t know all the facts.
Methinks you missed the fact that everything after the Harding reference was referring to someone who, I sincerely hope (but am not at all certain) will be a past-president at some point in the future. He’s managed to rend every other norm of “presidential behavior”, so all bets are off.
Bottom line?
It’s legacy theater.
Legal? Maybe on paper.
Ethical? Not even in the same ZIP code.
Transparent? Bubba, please!
Oh where is the office for efficiency now!?!
The Boeing contract for the replacement Air Force ones is decades late and over budget. This is being perused and will probably only be used a year or two.
Why in the heck not just use what the government has now.
Fix the current contract and ignore this distraction!?
This is as bad as the “ tanker contract which was to replace the aging 7007 based plane which is actually replacing the much new DV 20 based tankers as the 707s were already I the process of reengineing and new avionics install.
With this kind of self absorbed waste there is NO justification to cut science research, Medicaid education and all the social programs
Grift, hypocrisy, and government waste on a Presidential scale.
Walking through this “gifted” airplane mess, from beginning to the proposed ending is just unreal! It is a total joke from every direction. Don’t guess anyone is going to stop it though. He apparently does anything and everything he wants with no oversite.
Trump will never use it. It will be massively over budget and behind schedule like every other aircraft project.
SR-71 Blackbird the last Air Force project that came in on time and under budget?