Donald Trump this week raised several security concerns about his new Air Force One presidential aircraft, after switching planes at the last minute to leave a NATO summit in Turkey.

Upon arriving in Ankara aboard a modified Boeing 747, the US president did not hide his excitement, calling it 'truly exceptional.' But he quickly and unexpectedly decided not to use it to leave the country.

Thus, the plane, a gift from Qatar, departed for the United Kingdom without the president, who attributed the move to allowing US forces to visit it, while Trump returned on the older plane.

The New York Times reported that the new plane is not equipped with the same defense systems as its predecessors.

In the same context, US media reported that the plane change came on the recommendation of the president's security team amid rising tensions with Iran, a neighboring country to Turkey.

Journalists aboard Air Force One were asked to keep the window shades closed, which is usual in war zones.

At first, Trump denied any threat. But after switching planes in the UK to return to Washington on the new plane, he alluded to alleged assassination attempts by Iran, saying: 'You might be in a dangerous ride because of these thugs we have to deal with.'

For his part, White House Communications Director Steven Cheung told AFP on Friday that 'the new presidential aircraft is an advanced plane, equipped with high-level security protocols to ensure the protection of the president and his team.'

US President Donald Trump aboard the new presidential aircraft (AFP)

He added: 'We are using all available capabilities to counter' threats against the president. On Thursday, he told US media about the existence of 'distraction and jamming' tools.

When asked about the matter, the Secret Service referred the query to the White House.

Although no details have been announced, information indicated that the older presidential plane is equipped with advanced defense systems, including radar jammers as well as anti-missile systems.

It is not known whether the new plane is equipped with these capabilities. However, it is certain that some features present in the older plane are not available in the new one.

The US military acknowledged that it had to make concessions, particularly regarding the interior design of the plane, in order to speed up its operation.

The Air Force clarified in a statement issued in June that no shortcomings were recorded 'in terms of safety, security, or communications,' stressing that the aforementioned concessions covered other aspects.

In contrast, Democratic senators formally demanded that the Air Force address 'actual national security concerns.'

Former military personnel also expressed skepticism. John Teasher, a former Air Force officer, told Fox News that no matter how well-equipped the new plane is, 'it will never be built from scratch to have the same defensive capabilities as the specially designed US presidential aircraft.' The new plane will be used pending the delivery of two new Boeing aircraft in the coming years, after repeated delays. Trump explained that it will eventually be donated to his presidential library project in Miami for display.