Summary: After changing his plane in the United Kingdom to return to Washington aboard the new aircraft, Trump pointed to alleged assassination attempts by Iran, saying 'One might be on a dangerous flight because of those thugs we have to deal with.'

This week, Donald Trump raised several security concerns regarding his new presidential aircraft 'Air Force One,' which was gifted to him by Qatar, when he switched planes at the last minute to leave the NATO summit in Turkey.

Upon arriving in Ankara aboard the modified Boeing 747, the US president did not hide his excitement, describing it as 'truly exceptional.'

But he soon surprisingly decided not to use it to leave the country.

Without the President

Thus, the luxurious plane departed for the United Kingdom without the president, who attributed this to allowing US forces to visit it, while Trump returned on the old aircraft.

The New York Times reported that the new plane, a gift from the Qatari royal family, is not equipped with the same defense systems as its predecessors.

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

Journalists aboard Air Force One were asked to keep window shades closed, a practice that usually applies in war zones.

Initially, Donald Trump denied any threat.

But after changing planes in the United Kingdom to return to Washington aboard the new aircraft, he pointed to alleged assassination attempts by Iran, saying 'One might be on a dangerous flight because of those thugs we have to deal with.'

Security Protocols

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

He added, 'We use all available capabilities to counter' threats against the president. He had spoken last Thursday to US media about the existence of 'distraction and jamming' tools.

When the Secret Service was asked about the matter, it referred the issue to the White House.

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Despite no details being announced in this regard, information reported that the old presidential aircraft is equipped with advanced defense systems, including those used for radar jamming, 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 old plane are not available in its new counterpart.

The Qatari royal family gifted this luxurious plane to Trump last year, after he complained about the condition of the two old presidential planes, which have been in service since 1990.

The US Air Force hastened to modify the Qatari plane to be ready for its maiden flight on July 1 of this year to North Dakota.

Concerns and Doubts

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

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

In contrast, Democratic senators formally called on the Air Force to address 'actual national security concerns.'

Similarly, former military officers expressed doubts.

Former Air Force officer John Teasert told Fox News, 'No matter how well a Qatari plane is equipped, it will never be built from scratch with the same defensive capabilities as a specially designed US presidential aircraft.'

The Qatari 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.

However, this gift from Qatar, valued at hundreds of millions of dollars, raised questions about gifts the president may receive from abroad, based on ethical and constitutional considerations.