Air Force Diverting Money From Missile Project for President’s Jet Overhaul

Officials will use funds originally allocated for the LGM-35 Sentinel program.

Zach Vasile

Tuesday, July 01, 2025 at 11:12 AM ET

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Edited By:

Ryan Ewing

The Qatari 747-8 on the runway at Palm Beach International Airport, where President Donald Trump toured it in February. [Shutterstock/Leonard Zhukovsky]

Key Takeaways:

The U.S. Air Force is redirecting "surplus" funds from the LGM-35 Sentinel intercontinental ballistic missile program to pay for the overhaul of a Qatari jet.
This 13-year-old Boeing 747-8, gifted to President Donald Trump by Qatar, will serve as the next Air Force One due to significant delays in Boeing's official VC-25 replacement program.
The retrofit is expected to cost hundreds of millions of dollars and take up to three years, involving extensive modifications like integrity checks and the installation of top-secret communications systems.

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The U.S. Air Force is redirecting money intended for an intercontinental ballistic missile system to pay for the overhaul of a Qatari jet that will serve as the next Air Force One.

Inside Defense reported that “surplus” from the LGM-35 Sentinel program will fund the retrofit, which will likely cost hundreds of millions of dollars and could take up to three years. The online news outlet cited an unnamed senior Air Force official.