Qatari-donated Air Force One now sports red, white and blue paint job

The Qatari Boeing 747-8i aircraft gifted to the United States to serve as an interim Air Force One is now donning the red, white and blue livery.

The president’s aircraft, referred to as the VC-25B Bridge, is undergoing its final “government modifications,” an Air Force spokesperson told Military Times on Wednesday.

A photograph of the aircraft sporting its new paint job circulated on social media this week. It was taken by aviation photographer Travis Ghormley on Saturday and posted the following day.

The controversial gift from Qatar was donated in May 2025 after President Donald Trump aired his dissatisfaction over Boeing’s delays to deliver two new VC-25B aircraft. The replacement of the current Air Force One was originally slated for 2024, but now it is expected in 2028.

The Air Force provided an update on the Bridge aircraft at the beginning of May, saying it completed flight testing and is on track for a summer delivery to the Presidential Airlift Group. The service did not specify when the president will begin flying in the aircraft.

The spokesperson declined Wednesday to comment on what final modifications are being made to the aircraft.

To make the plane suitable for a president , the plane would require a reinforced defense with countermeasures, encrypted communications and other capabilities installed.

Currently, the president is flying in a version of the Boeing 747 aircraft, the VC-25A.

Cristina Stassis is a reporter covering stories surrounding the defense industry, national security, military/veteran affairs and more. She previously worked as an editorial fellow for Defense News in 2024 where she assisted the newsroom in breaking news across Sightline Media Group.

卡塔尔赠送给美国的波音747-8i飞机，作为临时空军一号，现在换上了红、白、蓝三色涂装。

空军发言人周三告诉《军事时报》，总统的专机 VC-25B“桥梁”正在进行最后的“政府改装”。

本周，一张飞机换上新涂装后的照片在社交媒体上流传开来。这张照片由航空摄影师特拉维斯·戈姆利于周六拍摄，并于次日发布。

卡塔尔于2025年5月赠送了这架飞机，引发争议。此前，美国总统唐纳德·特朗普曾公开表达对波音公司延迟交付两架新型VC-25B飞机的不满。这架飞机原计划于2024年交付，用于替换现有的“空军一号”，但现在预计将推迟到2028年。

空军在5月初发布了关于“桥梁”专机的最新进展，称该机已完成飞行测试，预计将于夏季交付总统空运集团。但空军并未具体说明总统何时开始乘坐该机。

发言人周三拒绝就飞机最终的改装方案发表评论。

为了使这架飞机适合总统使用，需要对其进行强化防御，安装反制措施、加密通信和其他功能。

目前，总统乘坐的是波音747飞机的VC-25A型。

克里斯蒂娜·斯塔西斯是一位记者，主要报道国防工业、国家安全、军事/退伍军人事务等领域的新闻。她曾于2024年在《防务新闻》担任编辑助理，协助Sightline媒体集团旗下新闻编辑室处理突发新闻。