President Donald Trump did not use the new $400 million Qatari-gifted Air Force One for his trip to Ankara, Turkey, for the NATO summit, leaving the aircraft at Mildenhall Air Force Base in the U.K. Trump claimed he left it there "to honor our brave men and women of the Military" because "everybody is so excited." He then flew on the older Air Force One from Turkey back to Mildenhall, saying it was "for old time's sake."
Iran Assassination Threat Cited
When asked why he wasn't flying on the new jet, Trump did not answer directly but brought up the possibility of Iran assassinating him. "It's a very dangerous profession," he said. "I'm number one on the kill list for Iran. They're lovely people, I'm number one." It was the second time he mentioned the threat, having earlier bragged about U.S. killings of Iranian leaders. "I may be gone, too, because I'm their number one target," he added.
Security Concerns and Lack of Features
Reporters aboard the jet were told to keep window shades closed as it left Ankara. The new jet, while costing hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars (the exact figure is classified but the Air Force says under $400 million), lacks fundamental security features like in-flight refueling. In contrast, the older jet has shielded electronics against electromagnetic pulses from nuclear blasts, advanced encrypted communications, missile countermeasures, and advanced power generation. These security gaps likely explain Trump's continued use of the older aircraft, which first entered service in 1990.
