Qatar’s $400,000,000 Boeing 747 gift is currently being secretly transformed in Texas into America’s next flying fortress

The Boeing 747 gifted to the US by the Emir of Qatar is currently being totally overhauled in Texas.

The idea is to turn this massive jet into an Air Force One twin.

As per usual, details are being kept under wraps for obvious security reasons.

But this leads to a question about how exactly US President Donald Trump may use the plane.

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The story behind Qatar’s Boeing 747

A few months ago, the government of Qatar gave the US a Boeing 747-8 (registration N7478D) worth around $400 million.

This 13-year-old 747-8, one of the largest airliners in the world, looks like a five-star hotel, with luxury fittings and furniture, and five lounges in total.

While Qatar was using this plane as VIP transportation for government officials, the US is apparently converting it into an Air Force One twin.

How the US wants to use this plane

At the time of writing, engineers and technicians are busy working on the jet at the 430,000-square-foot L3 Harris M3 facility in Waco, Texas.

They’re stripping VIP elements to install a presidential suite, conference room, medical bay and so on.

This brings us to the question we mentioned above, because it’s unclear what the US wants to use this plane for.

The US uses Air Force One to transport the US President, and sometimes Air Force Two (a modified Boeing 757) for the Vice President and other high-ranking government officials.

So it’s unclear whether Qatar’s 747 will be used as ‘Air Force Three’ – so to speak – or just as a backup or future Air Force One replacement.

What we do know for sure is that the finished product will look completely different.

When Qatar gave the plane to the US, the aircraft looked more or less like any other VIP jet.

But Air Force Ones look different, a lot more government business-like, and a lot more somber.

Sometimes the US president answers questions aboard Air Force One on live television, and that’s as close as we’re ever going to get seeing the interior of an active Air Force One.

However, there’s a decommissioned Air Force One parked in a museum in Ohio that anybody can go check out.

And, based on the interior of that plane, we know that Air Force One looks like an Oval Office for the sky, not really like a luxury hotel.