Converting luxury jet gifted to Trump into Air Force One could cost hundreds of millions

Converting a luxury jet gifted by Qatar to President Donald Trump into a replacement for Air Force One could potentially cost hundreds of millions of dollars and it could take up two years to install the necessary security equipment, communications, and defensive capabilities for it to be safely used by the commander in chief, current and former officials told CNN.

Converting a luxury jet gifted by Qatar to President Donald Trump into a replacement for Air Force One could potentially cost hundreds of millions of dollars, and it could take up two years to install the necessary security equipment, communications and defensive capabilities for it to be safely used by the commander in chief, current and former officials told CNN. Republican Sen. Ted Cruz said Tuesday that the plane “poses significant espionage and surveillance problems.” Across the aisle, Democratic Sen. Jack Reed, ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said accepting it would pose “immense counterintelligence risks by granting a foreign nation potential access to sensitive systems and communications.” Trump exclaimed in a social media post on Sunday that the Defense Department would be receiving a “GIFT, FREE OF CHARGE, of a 747 aircraft to replace the 40 year old Air Force One, temporarily.” The move would raise numerous ethics questions given the value of the jet, but it also raises serious questions about the security of an aircraft that could be used by the president to ensure continuity of government in an emergency situation. It has been estimated the jet is worth $400 million, but a person a person familiar with the details of the potential plan said the value of the Qatari aircraft is closer to $250 million. Overhauling it, according to administration estimates the person has been briefed on, could cost as much as three times that, or more. Even if used temporarily as Trump has said he would, US agencies would need to ensure there were no security vulnerabilities by essentially stripping the aircraft down to its frame and rebuilding it with the necessary communications and security equipment. “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.