New ‘Bridge’ Air Force One from Qatar to Fly This Summer

The Air Force has a name and expected delivery date for the Boeing 747 gifted by Qatar to the United States for presidential airlift: the “VC-25 bridge aircraft” now has “an anticipated delivery no later than summer 2026.” 

An Air Force spokesperson confirmed to Air & Space Forces Magazine details first reported by The Wall Street Journal, providing the first official timeline for the refurbishment. President Donald Trump previously had suggested he could be flying on the aircraft as soon as February.  

Trump took off Jan. 20 for Davos, Switzerland, on one of the two VC-25A “Air Force One” 747s now in service, but had to divert almost immediately. Returning to Andrews Air Force Base, the presidential party had to switch to a C-32, a smaller Boeing 757 jet equipped to carry the President.

If the Bridge Air Force One flies this year it would be a remarkably fast turnaround. The Pentagon officially accepted the jet in May 2025, but the Air Force did not announce work had begun until September. That suggests work could be completed in less than a year. 

Meanwhile, the long-term Air Force One replacement jets remain far behind schedule. The Air Force acquired two 747-8 aircraft in 2018 and hired Boeing to adapt the jets for the presidential airlift mission, with the designation VC-25B. Nearly eight years later, the program remains at least two years from completion. The original $3.5 billion, fixed-price contract with Boeing has left the company with $2 billion in losses. Boeing has blamed the delays on a shortage of cleared, skilled labor and supply chain issues. The latest projected delivery date is mid-2028. 

The Air Force has never confirmed who it hired to modify the former Qatari jet, but multiple media outlets have reported that it is L3Harris, and the jet has been spotted at L3Harris facilities in Texas. 

How L3Harris is moving so fast on modifying the former Qatar jet remains a public mystery. Officials have refused to discuss what modifications are necessary, and whether the bridge aircraft will support all the assured communications needed for nuclear command and control or not. While today’s VC-25As, which date to George H.W. Bush’s presidency, are capable of in-flight refueling and have their own self-defense capabilities, the bridge aircraft is unlikely to have those capabiliies. 

The “VC-25 bridge” name calls to mind the Air Force’s previous use of the term “bridge tanker” to describe a planned aerial refueler intended to fill a production gap between the KC-46 and the future Next-Generation Air Refueling System. Eventually, the service dropped that term and decided to buy more KC-46s. 

It is unclear if the Air Force will give the “bridge” VC-25 an official designation; the aircraft is not expected to be a long-term part of the Air Force fleet. Trump said in May 2025 that the aircraft will be decommissioned at the end of his term and expects it to be donated to his presidential library. 

Trump has been very vocal about his frustrations with the VC-25B program and the shortcomings of the existing VC-25As, which are starting to show their age. His pursuit of the Qatari plane and the Air Force’s investment of hundreds of millions of dollars to adapt it stem entirely from Trump’s frustrations over VC-25B delays.