I don't understand this. It's a Boeing. If the president wants this specific interior and size of a plane he could just purchase one directly from Boeing and retrofit it saving the whole "search for bugs" part.
Of course the largest issue is that you can't just retrofit a new Boeing with all the crap that is in the current air force one. All the radar stuff and missile defense isn't something a regular Boeing is designed for and that is also why the new AF1 that is in the works takes so long.
My prediction is that this plane will sit for 4 years and then go to trump but not without wasting millions in planning how to retrofit the plane.
IMO the president should have a 40 container he can put in what he wants and then be transported in that in either a C-17 or a C-5...
Wouldn't be cheaper to just move the interior to the current AF1? Or barring that just start covering everything in gold leaf. I am nauseated by the whole situation.
It's disappointing that we as a country are going to let this happen. This is a security nightmare and the most obvious grift to have ever been grifted.
There are so many issues with this. For one, I highly doubt the retrofit costing. You have to pull the thing apart to the skeleton, look for bugs, and then rebuild.
Also, I think Trump is more enamored of the jet as "one of the most luxurious private jets" than "functional equivalent of current AF1".
My take, given the timelines: it sees a modest fitting of some comms gear, but stays largely as is, because Trump absolutely has visions of it being his private jet.
I'm not an expert but I've read that Middle Eastern diplomacy is particularly personal. In places like Qatar, all the top guys know each other and are cousins or whatever, and their family ties go back hundreds of years. It's not like in Sweden or something where diplomacy happens between institutions more than between people. In traditional cultures, if you refuse a gift then it's almost like saying "I refuse to be bound with you." It's a big insult and almost a threat that you'll one day betray them. Try refusing a gift from your Chinese or Qatari or Swahili father-in-law and see how that goes. Accepting the jet today means that the Qatari's may accept your data center tomorrow.
I don't understand this. It's a Boeing. If the president wants this specific interior and size of a plane he could just purchase one directly from Boeing and retrofit it saving the whole "search for bugs" part.
Of course the largest issue is that you can't just retrofit a new Boeing with all the crap that is in the current air force one. All the radar stuff and missile defense isn't something a regular Boeing is designed for and that is also why the new AF1 that is in the works takes so long.
My prediction is that this plane will sit for 4 years and then go to trump but not without wasting millions in planning how to retrofit the plane.
IMO the president should have a 40 container he can put in what he wants and then be transported in that in either a C-17 or a C-5...
Wouldn't be cheaper to just move the interior to the current AF1? Or barring that just start covering everything in gold leaf. I am nauseated by the whole situation.
It's disappointing that we as a country are going to let this happen. This is a security nightmare and the most obvious grift to have ever been grifted.
Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas donate a Airforce one. Poor Israel!
Isn’t there a budget crisis at the moment?
There are so many issues with this. For one, I highly doubt the retrofit costing. You have to pull the thing apart to the skeleton, look for bugs, and then rebuild.
Also, I think Trump is more enamored of the jet as "one of the most luxurious private jets" than "functional equivalent of current AF1".
My take, given the timelines: it sees a modest fitting of some comms gear, but stays largely as is, because Trump absolutely has visions of it being his private jet.
I'm not an expert but I've read that Middle Eastern diplomacy is particularly personal. In places like Qatar, all the top guys know each other and are cousins or whatever, and their family ties go back hundreds of years. It's not like in Sweden or something where diplomacy happens between institutions more than between people. In traditional cultures, if you refuse a gift then it's almost like saying "I refuse to be bound with you." It's a big insult and almost a threat that you'll one day betray them. Try refusing a gift from your Chinese or Qatari or Swahili father-in-law and see how that goes. Accepting the jet today means that the Qatari's may accept your data center tomorrow.