The VIP-configured B747-8(BBJ) donated by Qatar to the United States government has been placed on the civilian register as N7478D (msn 37075) as of August 5, ch-aviation research reveals. Three days later, it was ferried to Waco James Connall, home to one of the largest aircraft modification facilities of L3Harris Technologies, the company that President Donald Trump has tasked with refurbishing the quadjet.
The move follows Washington's acceptance of the "unconditional donation", after a deal was signed on July 7. Trump has said he intends to deploy the aircraft as presidential transport in the first quarter of 2026. Air force secretary Troy Meink has estimated the retrofit cost at USD400 million.
On August 6, Democratic lawmakers, including senators Elizabeth Warren, Edward Markey, Tammy Duckworth, and Adam Schiff, along with two other members of Congress, wrote to Meink expressing concern that USD934 million from the LGM-35 Sentinel intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) programme is being redirected to the Qatar-gifted jet. According to early reports, the aircraft would serve as a temporary presidential jet before being transferred to Trump’s presidential library after he leaves office in 2028.
In their letter, the lawmakers questioned the legality of accepting the jet under the Constitution’s emoluments clause, the classified nature of the retrofit cost, and the potential impact on nuclear-modernisation priorities. They requested detailed responses by August 20 on funding sources, cost estimates, contractor arrangements, schedule risks, and whether the reallocation could further delay or increase costs for the Sentinel programme.
The United States Air Force currently operates two 38-year-old B747-200(VC-25A)s as presidential transports. In August 2017, during Trump's first term, it acquired two B747-8s to replace them, with Boeing contracted to perform the modifications for delivery in 2024. That timeline has since slipped to 2029 due to supply-chain issues, though Boeing now expects to complete the jets by 2027 after incurring heavy losses on the programme.
