Qatar-Donated 747 To Serve As Temporary Air Force One — Delivery Expected By Summer 2026, Air Force Says

The Qatari-owned Boeing 747 that is being converted into a temporary Air Force One — officially described as the VC-25 bridge aircraft — is expected to be delivered by summer 2026, the U.S. Air Force said in a statement. Conversion work began about a year ago, and many technical details remain classified.

“The Air Force remains committed to expediting delivery of the VC-25 bridge aircraft in support of the Presidential airlift mission, with an anticipated delivery no later than summer 2026,” an Air Force spokesperson told CNN.

It remains unclear whether the jet will be immediately certified to carry the president upon delivery or whether additional testing and checks will be required before it becomes operational. The Wall Street Journal first reported the expected summer delivery timeline.

Major Modifications and Security Work

The donated Boeing 747 — described last year by President Donald Trump as a “gift” from Qatar — will undergo extensive structural and systems work to remove intelligence and security vulnerabilities. U.S. agencies plan to strip the aircraft down to its airframe and rebuild it with hardened communications, countermeasures and other specialized systems required for presidential operations.

“You would want to check the airplane out completely — strip it down, check for bugs, things like that, harden it to make sure nobody could hijack the electronics on the airplane … The ability for the president to command and control his military in the worst days, that takes a lot,” a retired senior military official familiar with Air Force One told CNN.

Capabilities not standard on commercial 747s — such as mid-air refueling and additional defensive systems — are likely to be added so the president can remain airborne and maintain secure communications during a major crisis.

Costs, Agreements and Related Programs

An agreement signed last year by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and his Qatari counterpart described the donation as "unconditional" and confirmed the United States paid nothing to acquire the plane. Still, U.S. officials expect conversion costs to reach into the hundreds of millions of dollars. Air Force Secretary Troy Meink told lawmakers the project would likely cost “probably less than $400 million.”

Separately, Boeing is refurbishing two other 747s as the long-term replacements for Air Force One under a 2018 contract valued at $3.9 billion. That program has experienced years of delay and significant cost growth; Boeing reports more than $2.3 billion in related overruns and has not provided a firm completion date, which is not expected before next year at the earliest.

Recent Operational Note

Earlier this week, an electrical problem forced President Trump’s Europe-bound aircraft to return to Joint Base Andrews. To continue to Switzerland, he transferred to a Boeing C-32A, an aircraft often used by first ladies or Cabinet members.

Many technical and security details of the VC-25 bridge conversion remain classified. The Air Force said it is coordinating with other government entities to ensure all security and mission requirements are met before the aircraft enters presidential service.

CNN’s Chris Isidore contributed reporting.