NYT: Trump's new presidential jet not fully protected

US President Donald Trump departed Türkiye aboard the older Air Force One aircraft rather than the newly acquired Qatari-donated Boeing 747-8 due to security considerations linked to renewed hostilities with Iran, The New York Times reports, citing people familiar with the matter.

The outlet said the decision was reportedly made at the recommendation of the US Secret Service and has renewed questions about whether the new aircraft has undergone all the security modifications required for presidential use.

Lawmakers and officials have raised concerns over whether the accelerated timetable for preparing the aircraft allowed for the installation of advanced missile defence systems and other protective technologies typically found on Air Force One.

In a statement, White House Communications Director Steven Cheung said the new aircraft is "a state-of-the-art aircraft that has been fitted with high-level security protocols that ensure the safety of the president and his staff."

"As the president has said recently, there are many enemies of America who have their sights on him, and we use every tool at our disposal — including distraction and misdirection — to address those threats," he added.

However, people familiar with the aircraft's capabilities told The New York Times that the Qatari-donated plane does not yet possess all of the features available on the older presidential aircraft. They stressed that the switch was precautionary and was not prompted by any specific threat.

Trump traveled to Türkiye aboard the new aircraft earlier this week to attend the NATO summit in Ankara. During the visit, hostilities involving Iran resumed and the United States launched strikes against Iranian targets while NATO leaders were meeting in the Turkish capital.

The US president later denied that the decision to change aircraft was driven by security concerns, saying instead that he wanted the new jet to travel ahead to American military facilities in Europe so troops could see the aircraft.

Trump subsequently wrote on social media that he would use the older aircraft "for old time's sake" while allowing the newer plane to visit RAF Mildenhall so US service members could tour it.

According to the report, Trump boarded the older aircraft unusually quickly before journalists accompanying the president were able to observe or photograph his departure, while passengers were instructed to lower window shades before takeoff.

The aircraft later landed at RAF Mildenhall, where Trump transferred back to the newer plane for the flight to Washington.

Industry and Pentagon officials have previously estimated that fully upgrading the aircraft to Air Force One standards could cost hundreds of millions of dollars and take up to two years to complete.

Former senior US Air Force official Andrew P. Hunter said that while communications systems could likely be installed within the available timeframe, more sophisticated security modifications would require significant structural work and considerably more time.

"To do a full Air Force One equivalent upgrade does require structural modifications," Hunter said.

By Bakhtiyar Abbasov