The US Air Force has begun modifying a Boeing 747 that was donated to the US by Qatar over the summer, an Air Force spokesperson said on Monday.
The plane will be used for “executive airlift support,” the spokesperson said.
President Donald Trump has said he wants to use the gifted plane as a new Air Force One.
The specifics regarding the plane modifications and which firm has been hired to carry out the changes remain confidential, according to a spokesperson.
CNN has previously highlighted that converting and equipping a used aircraft sourced from another government, even from an ally, with the necessary security and communication systems is an immensely challenging undertaking.
The U.S. intelligence and security agencies responsible for the transformation will need to virtually dismantle the aircraft to its structural base and reconstruct it outfitted with essential equipment.
The gift of the aircraft and the accompanied security concerns have led to criticism from both political sides. Republican Senator Ted Cruz stated in May that the plane’s donation “poses significant espionage and surveillance challenges.”
Similarly, Democratic Senator Jack Reed, a senior member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, expressed that accepting the aircraft could involve “substantial counterintelligence threats by allowing a foreign country potential entry to critical systems and communications.”
Air Force Secretary Troy Meink informed legislators in June that the cost to retrofit the aircraft will “likely” be under $400 million (approximately $599 million in Australian dollars) for the Air Force.
That process could take anywhere from several months to two years, a retired senior military official previously told CNN.
While the Air Force would largely oversee the stripping of the Qatari aircraft and rebuilding it to meet security requirements, the project would also involve a slew of government agencies, including the Secret Service, Central Intelligence Agency, National Security Agency, and White House Communications Agency.
US-Qatari relations have been slightly strained in recent days following an Israeli strike on Doha last week that targeted senior Hamas officials. Secretary of State Marco Rubio will travel to Qatar as part of his current trip to the Middle East, a senior State Department official confirmed Monday.
The official did not provide further details about the stop, which comes after Rubio’s meeting with the Qatari Prime Minister last week and discussions with top Israeli officials this week.
Qatar has insisted publicly, however, that the US-Qatari defence relationship remains strong and denied that it is re-assessing the security partnership.
“The security and defence partnership between the State of Qatar and the United States is stronger than ever and will continue to grow,” Qatar’s International Media Office said in a statement on X last week.
