# Air Force One

Type: Product

Source: Space & Defense Intelligence Brief — https://getspacebrief.com/entity/air-force-one
Canonical HTML page: https://getspacebrief.com/entity/air-force-one

## Timeline

- **2026-07-19**: Grounding announced for security upgrades — President Trump announces the temporary plane will be grounded for about a month to be 'maxed out' with new defensive capabilities.
- **2026-07-15**: Scheduled grand jury appearance — Journalists are ordered to testify before a federal grand jury in Manhattan concerning an alleged violation of criminal law.
- **2026-07-10**: White House meeting and subpoena issuance — FBI Director Kash Patel and DOJ officials discuss the leaked information; later that day U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton issues subpoenas to four NYT journalists, with agents delivering them to homes.
- **2026-07-08**: NYT publishes security concerns about new Air Force One — Reporters reveal potential vulnerabilities in the new aircraft’s systems following the $400 million U.S.-funded retrofit.
- **2026-07-08**: President switches to older aircraft — Amid escalating tensions with Iran, Trump abruptly uses an older Air Force One for the leg from Turkey to the United Kingdom, citing security concerns.
- **2026-07-07**: Trump uses older Air Force One to depart NATO summit — President Trump leaves Ankara on an older-model VC-25A instead of the newly retrofitted Qatari-gifted 747-8, citing threats from Iran.
- **2026-07-01**: Temporary Air Force One enters service — The Qatari-gifted Boeing 747, refitted by L3Harris, begins flying President Trump as a stopgap replacement for delayed next-generation planes.

## Recent coverage (2 stories)

### 30-Day Air Force One Security Overhaul: Limited to Jammers, Dazzlers, Chaff
2026-07-21 00:18:44 · Sentiment: Bearish · Impact: 6/10 · Sources: 2

The temporary Air Force One, a Boeing 747 gifted by Qatar, is grounded for a month-long security refit. Experts say the timeline allows only non-kinetic electronic defenses, leaving critical gaps against advanced missile threats.
Full story: https://getspacebrief.com/story/air-force-one-30-day-upgrade-limited-defenses

### New Air Force One’s Security Flaws Exposed—4 Reporters Subpoenaed Over Leak
2026-07-11 23:04:02 · Sentiment: Bearish · Impact: 7/10 · Sources: 11

Revelations about security vulnerabilities in the $400 million retrofitted, Qatari-gifted presidential aircraft have prompted a DOJ crackdown on the journalists who reported them. The controversy highlights critical gaps in the defense supply chain for the world’s most secure airplane.
Full story: https://getspacebrief.com/story/air-force-one-security-flaws-nyt-subpoenas-defense

---
This page is a machine-readable summary. Sentiment measures the directional read of each development for this entity, not the tone of the reporting; impact weights consequence, not syndication reach. See https://getspacebrief.com/guides/methodology for the full editorial methodology.