Experts question one-month security upgrade plan for Trump's Qatari Air Force One amid Iran tensions

President Donald Trump's Qatari-gifted Air Force One is expected to be taken out of service for around a month to undergo security upgrades following renewed scrutiny over the aircraft's defensive capabilities as tensions with Iran intensified. Aviation and defence experts say the planned work is likely to improve the jet's protection, although they doubt such a short timeframe would allow for major enhancements.

Trump said on Sunday that the Boeing 747, which has been transporting him since July 1, would soon be sent away to be "maxed out" with new capabilities. According to the President, the upgrade programme is expected to take about a month.

The aircraft's security preparedness came under renewed focus after Trump unexpectedly switched to an older Air Force One for the journey from Turkey to the United Kingdom on July 8 as tensions with Iran escalated.

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The aircraft, painted in a red, white, dark blue and gold livery selected by Trump, is a Boeing 747 gifted to the United States by Qatar last year. It was refitted by defence contractor L3Harris Technologies and was intended to serve as a temporary replacement while Boeing continues to face delays in delivering the next-generation Air Force One fleet.

Experts believe only limited upgrades are possible

Douglas Birkey, executive director of the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies, said the standard Air Force One fleet is equipped with an advanced range of defensive systems, including anti-missile technology. He said the White House appeared to have accepted a lower level of protection on the Qatari aircraft in order to bring it into service more quickly.

Birkey said the aircraft was probably configured for "neutral or low-level" threat environments and that officials are now seeking to strengthen its defences. He added that any work completed within a month would most likely be limited to non-kinetic systems such as electronic jammers, infrared "dazzler" devices designed to confuse heat-seeking missiles, and possibly chaff, a cloud of tiny metallic strips released from an aircraft to disrupt radar signals and mislead radar-guided weapons.

He also noted that infrared-guided missiles have become a growing concern for military planners because they are more difficult to detect than radar-guided threats and "can kind of come out of nowhere".

White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said on Monday, '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. During that time, the President will fly on the old Air Force One."

Security concerns draw political attention

Mark Cancian, a senior adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said there was little that could be achieved within a month. He agreed that the work would likely be limited to software updates or the addition of systems such as flares or chaff.

Cancian also said the decision to change aircraft in Turkey was likely based on updated intelligence regarding threats from Iran, leading officials to conclude that the Qatari jet was not suited to the heightened threat environment.

Democrats have questioned how quickly the aircraft entered service, arguing that additional time should have been devoted to completing its security upgrades.

Speaking at the Farnborough Airshow, Senator Jeanne Shaheen said Congress should review the aircraft's safety.

"We knew there were some issues around security with the plane. We've known that from the very beginning."