Back in February, President Donald Trump said Boeing's progress on the new Air Force One was taking too long, and he threatened to go another way, maybe even dipping into the used aircraft market to find something to convert.
Well, it appears that the president has reached the end of his patience and is now repurposing a used Qatari plane to become the new Air Force One, and he’s tasked one of Boeing’s contractors to get it done.
Last week, the Wall Street Journal reported that President Trump has contracted L3Harris to retrofit a Boeing 747 previously owned by the Qatari government. In his defense, Boeing's delays are so pronounced that the president may not even fly in the new Air Force One by the end of his second term.
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The fight reaches back to late 2016, when Trump was the president-elect for his first term and threatened to cancel the order over out-of-control costs. The two sides reached a new $3.9 billion deal about two years later.
It will be no small feat for the Florida-based defense contractor, which has been tasked with overhauling the old bird and having it in the air by this fall. At least they are familiar with similar projects, L3Harris is contracted by Boeing to perform work on the new Air Force Ones communication systems.
At least one of Boeing’s new aircraft was scheduled to be ready by last year. According to the Wall Street Journal's report, Boeing said the new planes may not be delivered until 2035 as it has struggled to construct the intentionally complex craft.
The frustrations were felt in the previous administration, which even considered switching to European competitor Airbus to get the job done.
Before Trump took office for his second term, he tasked Elon Musk with moving the project along and, according to Newsweek, Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg said Musk’s involvement was helping the plane maker navigate through "non-value-added constraints" to move faster. Still, it looks like it wasn't fast enough.
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X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000,MPEGTS:0
00:00.239 --> 00:05.760
Back in February, President Donald Trump said
Boeing's progress on the new Air Force One was
00:05.760 --> 00:08.710
taking too long, and he threatened to go
another way,
00:08.920 --> 00:13.909
maybe even dipping into the used aircraft
market to find something to convert.
00:14.119 --> 00:18.590
Well, it appears that the president has reached
the end of his patience and is now.
00:18.739 --> 00:23.180
Repurposing a used Qatari plane to become the
new Air Force One,
00:23.430 --> 00:27.299
and he's tasked one of Boeing's contractors to
get it done.
00:27.579 --> 00:32.500
Last week, the Wall Street Journal reported
that President Trump has contracted L3 Harris
00:32.500 --> 00:37.270
to retrofit a Boeing 747 previously owned by
the Qatari government.
00:38.009 --> 00:44.189
In his defense, Boeing's delays are so
pronounced that the president may not even fly
00:44.189 --> 00:47.430
in the new Air Force One by the end of his
second term.
00:47.549 --> 00:53.869
The fight reaches back to late 2016 when Trump
was the president-elect for his first term and
00:53.869 --> 00:56.669
threatened to cancel the order over out of
control costs.
00:57.000 --> 01:02.180
The two sides reached a new $3.9 billion deal
about two years later.
01:02.349 --> 01:05.629
It will be no small feat for the Florida-based
defense contractor,
01:05.870 --> 01:11.540
which has been tasked with overhauling the old
bird and having it in the air by this fall.
01:11.750 --> 01:14.279
At least they're familiar with similar projects.
L3.
01:14.375 --> 01:18.904
Harris is contracted by Boeing to perform work
on the new Air Force One's communication
01:18.904 --> 01:22.285
systems.
At least one of Boeing's new aircraft was
01:22.285 --> 01:24.074
scheduled to be ready by last year.
01:24.375 --> 01:29.764
According to the Wall Street Journal's report,
Boeing said the new planes may not be delivered
01:29.764 --> 01:36.285
until 2035 as it has struggled to construct the
intentionally complex aircraft.
01:37.040 --> 01:41.750
But 2035, the frustrations were felt in the
previous administration,
01:41.919 --> 01:46.760
which even considered switching to European
competitor Airbus to get the job done before
01:46.760 --> 01:51.510
Trump took office for his second term, he
tasked Elon Musk with moving the project along,
01:51.599 --> 01:56.879
and according to Newsweek, Boeing CEO Kelly
Ortberg said Musk's involvement was helping the
01:56.879 --> 02:02.389
planemaker navigate through non-value added
constraints to move faster.
02:03.279 --> 02:06.230
Still looks like it wasn't fast enough.
02:06.660 --> 02:09.250
I'm David Manti.
This is manufacturing now.
