Air Force Affirms $400 Million Cost Estimate for Jet from Qatar

May 13, 2026, 8:46 PM UTC

A top Air Force official affirmed that an aircraft Qatar gave to the US as an interim presidential jet will cost about $400 million to retrofit.

William Bailey, the acting assistant secretary of the Air Force for acquisition, cited the figure in testimony before a House Armed Services subcommittee hearing on Wednesday. He declined to elaborate on the plane’s capabilities.

The estimate is the first cost figure the service has put on the project since Air Force Secretary Troy Meink said last year that retrofitting the luxury Boeing Co. 747-8 jumbo jet to carry the president would take “significant modifications” ...

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