0
U.S. President Donald Trump gestures as he switches from the older presidential aircraft to the new Air Force One, donated by Qatar, at RAF Mildenhall in Suffolk, UK, on July 8 (local time) while returning to Washington after the NATO summit. / Photo by Reuters via Yonhap News Agency

Questions are being raised over the background of U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to switch his presidential aircraft while returning home from the NATO summit held in Turkiye.

According to the AP news agency on July 9 (local time), President Trump traveled part of the journey aboard the older Air Force One upon departing Ankara. He then switched to the new presidential aircraft, which was waiting in advance at Royal Air Force Mildenhall in the United Kingdom.

President Trump's sudden aircraft switch during his return trip drew extraordinary attention as it took place at a time when military tensions have reached a peak, with the United States and Iran trading retaliatory airstrikes in the Middle East.

When asked by reporters whether there had been a specific threat from Iran during the flight, Trump drew a line, stating that while he is always "one of Iran's top targets," the aircraft swap was not due to a security threat.

Regarding the switch, he denied security-related suspicions, saying, "I rode the older aircraft out of old times' sake." He also explained his unannounced stopover at RAF Mildenhall, stating, "It was on the return route, and I just visited to show the new presidential aircraft to the service members."

Among military experts, however, analysis suggests that the actual reason for the switch may be a lack of defensive capabilities in the new aircraft, which was recently refurbished at a cost of 400 million dollars (approx. 603.5 billion won). A recent analysis of the newly unveiled aircraft's exterior confirmed that some of the core missile detection and countermeasure systems standard on the existing Air Force One were missing.

The U.S. Air Force and the White House emphasized that there are no issues with the safety of the new aircraft. White House Spokesperson Steven Cheung said in a statement, "The new aircraft is a state-of-the-art plane equipped with the highest level of security protocols to ensure the president's safety," explaining that all tactical means, including 'disruption and deception,' are being utilized to counter enemy threats.

Previously, the U.S. Air Force had emphasized that there were no security or safety issues in the process of fast-tracking the introduction of the aircraft donated by Qatar, though it did admit that some complex technical modifications required for the final Air Force One configuration were intentionally excluded.

                                                                                                           Lee Jung-eun