Claims that it would cost $1 billion or more to transform the jet Qatar gave the United States into Air Force One crash landed Thursday as an Air Force official said the real figure is much lower.
Air Force Secretary Troy Meink appeared Thursday before the House Armed Services Committee. In response to questions, Meink could not provide an exact figure, but gave an estimate that was less than half of what Democrats claim, according to Politico.
“There has been a number thrown around a billion dollars, but a lot of those costs associated with that are costs that we’ve experienced anyway,” Meink said.
“It’s probably less than $400 million to retrofit that aircraft,” he said.
Meink noted that the existing Air Force parts budget would cover a significant amount of the cost of the retrofit.
Air Force crews would need to do “a deep sweep” to ensure no intelligence vulnerabilities are in the plane, he said.
He said the Air Force would do “whatever we can” to ensure that the gift symbolizing the Middle East nation’s support for President Donald Trump would be ready for Trump to fly before he leaves office.
Boeing is already behind schedule on its existing contract to supply new planes to replace the existing planes used as Air Force One.
Democratic Rep. Joe Courtney of Connecticut was displeased with the estimate, saying that because a 2018 retrofit of an existing Air Force One cost $3.9 billion, the cost to upgrade the Qatari gift had to be higher, according to The Hill.
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“[I]t’s clear that this new third plane is going to cost well over $1 billion,” he said.
“You can’t retrofit a plane that’s built for another purpose for Air Force One and expect it to be a free plane,” he said. “You’ve got to install encrypted communications technology, you have to harden the defenses, you have to put countermeasures in there. … It’s a flying situation room,” he said.
The U.S. last month officially accepted the gift, according to The Hill.
“The Secretary of Defense has accepted a Boeing 747 from Qatar in accordance with all federal rules and regulations,” chief Pentagon representative Sean Parnell said in a statement.
“The Department of Defense will work to ensure proper security measures and functional-mission requirements are considered for an aircraft used to transport the President of the United States,” he said.
The luxury Boeing 747-8 was formerly used by Qatar’s royal family.
After the gift provoked criticism, Trump went online to explain the deal on Truth Social.
“The Boeing 747 is being given to the United States Air Force/Department of Defense, NOT TO ME! It is a gift from a Nation, Qatar, that we have successfully defended for many years,” Trump wrote on May 13.
“It will be used by our Government as a temporary Air Force One, until such time as our new Boeings, which are very late on delivery, arrive. Why should our military, and therefore our taxpayers, be forced to pay hundreds of millions of Dollars when they can get it for FREE from a country that wants to reward us for a job well done,” Trump wrote.
“This big savings will be spent, instead, to MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN! Only a FOOL would not accept this gift on behalf of our Country,” Trump wrote.
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