Cost of converting Trump’s donated Qatari Boeing 747 into Air Force One is being ‘hidden’ by the DoD
July 28, 2025
The ‘free’ Qatar Boeing 747-8 ‘Flying Palace’ could turn out to be the most expensive US Air Force aircraft. The cost of converting it into an Air Force One aircraft may run into the billions of dollars, yet it is only expected to serve for a couple of years.
The New York Times and other sources report that the true cost of converting the Qatari 747 into a secure, presidential aircraft is being obscured by embedding it within broader defence spending programs.
Hiding the cost of converting the Boeing 747 in ‘black budgets’
According to the New York Times, the price tag of refurbishing the Qatar Boeing 747 into Air Force One has been classified. The outlet states even by the standards of Washington’s black budgets, “…the techniques being used to hide the cost of Mr. Trump’s pet project are inventive.”
The publication asserts Air Force officials have privately acknowledged “dipping into nuclear modernisation funds” to fund Trump’s new aeroplane. It flagged a mysterious $934 million transfer from the modernisation of the US’s nuclear missiles.
That sum was moved into accounts associated with the Presidential jet, like “Presidential airlift support”, “Classified special air mission readiness,” and “Strategic airport command and control systems.”
The New York Times reported, “Air Force officials privately concede that they are paying for renovations of the Qatari Air Force One with the transfer from another, the massively over-budget, behind-schedule programme called the Sentinel.”
To ensure the Qatari 747 is secure and there are no listening devices or other malicious devices, the aircraft will need to be stripped down to its basic components. To bring it up to the VC-25 standard, the Air Force will need to essentially rebuild the aircraft.
How much will modifying the Qatar 747 into Air Force One cost?
The War Zone explained in May 2025, there is a massive gulf between a run-of-the-mill VIP transport aircraft and the US Air Force VC-25 Air Force One aircraft.
The latter are extremely heavily modified aircraft equipped with self-defence capabilities, aerial refueling, and numerous highly secure communications. These are designed to be a flying Oval Office from where the President is able to continue directing the nation in the event of an emergency.
These aircraft need SATCOM uplinks and downloads, secure voice, data, and videoconferencing. They need a direct connection to the National Command Authority (NCA), and for all this to work even in the case of nuclear war.
They need missile detection, infrared countermeasures, and electronic countermeasures. Then there are other modifications like a medical suite, built-in air stairs, EMP shielding, and potentially aerial refuelling capabilities.
Boeing accepted a fixed $3.9 billion contract to deliver two replacement Presidential transport 747s to the Air Force. As an indication of just how complex these aircraft are, Boeing is now five years late in delivering the aircraft. The first was meant to be delivered in 2024, but it is now expected in 2029.
Further highlighting the difficulty in delivering a Presidential VC-25 at the Air Force standards, Boeing has now taken more than $2 billion in losses on developing these aircraft.
The Qatar 747 will only be Air Force One for a very short time
Perhaps the most expensive aspect of the new Presidential jet is the length of time it is expected to remain in service. It will likely take a year or two to retrofit it so that Trump can use it before his term expires in 2029 and Boeing delivers the new Boeing VC-25B Air Force One replacements.
But then what happens to the aircraft? After the Air Force has potentially spent billions on it, the NYT says it will be transferred to the “yet-to-be-created Trump presidential library after he leaves office in 2029.”
That would be a phenomenally expensive stop-gap aircraft for a President adamant he wants to fly on a gold-plated Jumbo before his term expires.
It is unclear if the Air Force will need to compromise on the aircraft’s capabilities to get the flying palace to Trump in the timeframe he is demanding or not. Regardless, the aircraft will be eye-wateringly expensive and fleeting. It will be anything from the ‘free’ aircraft it has been presented as.
