With the next-generation Air Force One chronically delayed and still a decade away from delivery, US President Donald Trump has lost patience with Boeing and is now attempting to procure an “interim” Air Force One from a smaller defense contractor by the autumn of 2025.

Angry At Boeing, Trump Looks To Alternate Source For “Interim” Air Force One Replacement By Autumn 2025

The Wall Street Journal is reporting that President Trump has reached the end of his patience with Boeing and is pivoting to L3Harris, another defense contractor, to provide an interim solution  (thanks to Dennis Lennox for flagging this for me). L3Harris is a Boeing subcontractor and is already working on communications systems for the next-generation Air Force One.

In 2018, Trump ordered the next-generation jet for presidential transport (called Air Force One when the president is traveling on it) from Boeing, a pair of modified 747-8 jets.

Those aircraft were supposed to have been delivered already, but in February Boeing told the White House that delivery may be delayed as late as 2029, which would mean delivery would even not come during Trump’s non-consecutive second term. Now the aircraft has been delayed to 2034, a delay that has reportedly enraged Trump.

Trump personally examined a Qatari-owned 747 that he believes could become a future presidential aircraft. The aircraft, registration number P4-HBJ, touched down in West Palm Beach, Florida on February 15, 2025, located a short distance from Trump’s Mar-a-Logo retreat. According to White House logs, Trump spent 72 minutes onboard the aircraft.

> Read More: “I’m Not Happy With Boeing!” Trump Goes Plane Shopping Due To Air Force One Delays

It appears that jet will be used to create an “interim” Air Force One, offering an additional back-up for presidential transport and a way for Trump to showcase his new livery.

Once used by the Qatari Royal Family, the aircraft’s interior resembles Trump’s opulent penthouse in Trump Tower in New York City. That aircraft already features a $200 million missile defense system from Northrop Grumman (the ability to deflect certain incoming missiles with a high-powered laser).

Boeing blames the delay on classified communication and weapons systems, which the Qatar 747-8 the President examined does not have.

It is not clear if Florida-based L3Harris can install the type of security and defense systems that would offer the protection military officials deem is necessary for the POTUS to step on the aircraft.

Make It Make Sense…

A few thoughts here.

First, I simply do not understand how a project like this can take so many years. I realize that Boeing has many priorities and is trying to complete its (very delayed) 777X program. It’s not as easy as just hiring more people…you have to hire the right people, who are technically qualified. I also realize that Trump’s custom livery adds additional complications. Even so, this delay is astounding.

I view it as a metaphor of American impotence that we cannot complete a project like this in a timely fashion. This isn’t China, where train tracks are straight and infrastructure rapidly built because private property always takes a backseat to the “common good,” but there’s something deeply flawed about this project taking so long…10 more years from today?! 17 years to finalize an aircraft?

Second, the US Air Force has repeatedly said the current modified 747-200 aircraft (VC-25As) that serve as Air Force One are not only airworthy, but fit for service for decades to come. They are also beautiful…what’s the rush?! Setting aside Boeing’s ineptitude, why is it so important for Trump to have a new plane now? The Air Force has long said it wants a third plane so that there is always a backup available if one of the planes is undergoing maintenance, but this project has always been termed by the President as a replacement project, not a backup project.

Finally, if the delay is due to complications with the classified communications and weapons system, can L3Harris really deliver (or create) them any faster than Boeing? And if not, do we really want the POTUS creating a security vulnerability every time he steps on that aircraft (i.e., he becomes an easier target)?

CONCLUSION

Impatient with Boeing, it appears that President Trump will pivot to a different contractor in hopes of debuting an interim replacement for the aircraft currently used to transport the President of the United States. I fail to understand how the logistics work from a security perspective, but we’ll see if the White House comments on the new Air Force One later today.