President Trump departed Turkey on Wednesday night aboard the older Air Force One aircraft as a precautionary security measure, after concerns that the newer Qatari-gifted jet does not yet include the full suite of protections found on its predecessor, according to a new report.
The Secret Service urged Trump to leave the Ankara NATO summit on the older plane because of potential security threats tied to the renewed conflict with Iran, sources briefed on the situation told The New York Times.
The move has intensified questions about the rushed rollout of the newer Air Force One aircraft, which underwent retrofitting over the past year but is believed to still fall short of the security capabilities built into the existing presidential jet, the Times reported.
Air Force One, a customized Boeing 747, functions as the president’s main aircraft and is outfitted with defensive technology designed to confuse, divert or disable anti-aircraft missiles aimed at the commander in chief.
Those protections could be critical in the event of an Iranian strike, as Tehran possesses long-range missiles and drones capable of reaching Ankara.
Iran has previously displayed its Shahed-136 drone, which can travel at 114 mph while carrying as much as 123 pounds of explosives, along with ballistic missiles that in March reached the Diego Garcia airbase in the Indian Ocean, roughly 2,500 miles away.
Although the aircraft’s complete defensive systems are classified, Air Force One is known to carry radar-jamming equipment, infrared countermeasures and advanced communications technology.
The plane is also specially wired and reinforced to shield its interior from the effects of even a nuclear blast — upgrades that have not yet been finished on the newer jet, Andrew Hunter, a former Biden administration Air Force official, told the Times.
A source told The Post that the gifted aircraft lacks the same structural modifications as the original.
“In that time they had, they would be able to accommodate communications upgrades, but not anything that would require significant structural work,” Hunter added to The Times.
The new $400 million Boeing 747-8, dubbed the “palace in the sky,” was a gift from Qatar that features an extravagant interior that Trump dubbed the “greatest commercial plane ever built.”
The US Air Force had stated that the aircraft is “safe, secure and equipped with the most advanced technologies necessary to meet the requirements of the presidential mission.”
The agency added that no risks were taken in security, safety or communications.
The White House denied any claim that the new Air Force One jet is not safe, echoing Trump’s claim that yesterday’s switch was merely a precaution.
“The new Air Force One is a state-of-the-art aircraft that has been fitted with high-level security protocols that ensure the safety of the President and his staff,” Steven Cheung, the White House communications director, said in a statement to The Post.
“As the President has said recently, there are many enemies of America who have their sights on him, and we use every tool at our disposal— including distraction and misdirection— to address those threats.”
Trump insisted he took the old plane out of Turkey for “old times’ sake,” but noted that the plane could be a target given that he’s “number one on the kill list for Iran.”
