Qatar-Gifted ‘Bridge’ Air Force One Painted, Final Modifications Underway

The Boeing 747-8 gifted to the United States by Qatar to be used as a “bridge” Air Force One has been painted and is now undergoing its final modifications by the government, the Air Force said June 8.

An Air Force spokesperson provided the update on the status of the new presidential transport aircraft, referred to as the VC-25B bridge aircraft but declined to say when it will officially be delivered to the Air Force and operational. The Air Force said in May that the plane was on schedule for a summer 2026 rollout.

A photo of the bridge Air Force One, taken by Texas-based aviation photographer Travis Ghormley, surfaced on social media June 7. 

The aircraft matches previously released mockups of President Donald Trump’s preferred red-white-and-dark blue livery, which the entire Air Force executive airlift fleet is getting. The tail depicts a billowing U.S. flag instead of the more formal, static Stars and Stripes that have decorated other Air Force One planes.

L3Harris, the contractor working on the bridge aircraft at its Texas facilities, declined to comment about the photo or status of the plane to Air & Space Forces Magazine.

The bridge Air Force One is intended to act as an interim presidential aircraft while Boeing continues work on the pair of 747s originally earmarked to be the VC-25Bs. 

Boeing has been working on those planes for about a decade, and they are years behind schedule due to supply chain problems and a lack of cleared workers. They were originally to be delivered in 2024, but are now likely to arrive in 2028. President Trump has repeatedly voiced his dissatisfaction with Boeing’s performance and the delays.

In early 2025, news emerged that the administration planned to accept a 747-8 from Qatar and turn it into an interim Air Force One. Congressional Democrats questioned the ethics and legality of accepting such a large gift from Qatar, especially since reports indicated the plane would be donated to Trump’s presidential library after he leaves office.

The Air Force previously announced May 1 that the aircraft’s flight testing had finished, and that it needed to be painted before delivery.

Critics have also expressed concern over the last year that accepting a plane used by Qatar could present a security risk, such as by allowing listening devices or other bugs to be planted on the aircraft. But the Air Force said in May that a cadre of “elite specialists” from several agencies worked to catch any “technical hazards” on the plane.