# The Qatari jet **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Tags:** trump\ **Created:** [May 17, 2026, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-qatari-jet/1030142 "2026-05-17T13:09:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2026, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-qatari-jet/1030142/61 "2026-07-21T02:12:55Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > Running out of fuel is sort of a big deal. Especially over the middle of the Atlantic. The new (official) AF1 will not have inflight refuelling capability. ---
**Author:** ![JohnGalt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johngalt/32/184_2.png) [@JohnGalt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnGalt)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2026, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-qatari-jet/1030142/62 "2026-07-21T18:20:28Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > Running out of fuel is sort of a big deal. Especially over the middle of the Atlantic. Get the Marx Brothers to fly it. When they ran out of fuel halfway over the Atlantic, they just turned around to get more. And then they got twice as much gas but ran out three feet short, they also just turned around to get more. _Night at the Opera_ ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2026, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-qatari-jet/1030142/63 "2026-07-21T18:43:44Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > The new (official) AF1 will not have inflight refuelling capability. Do you mean the Qatari plane or the new ones still being built? By using the parenthetical, I assume you mean the latter. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2026, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-qatari-jet/1030142/64 "2026-07-21T19:17:06Z")
The ones still being built. ---
**Author:** ![robby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robby/32/11048_2.png) [@robby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robby)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2026, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-qatari-jet/1030142/65 "2026-07-21T20:39:56Z")
Right, the two new VC-25B aircraft that are going to be the new Air Force One planes are being converted from two existing Boeing 747-8 airframes that had been built for a commercial airline but never delivered after the airline went bankrupt. It was decided that it would be too difficult to tear apart the nose of the aircraft to install in-flight refueling capability. Also, modern jet engines are much more efficient than ones in the older aircraft, and the current VC-25A aircraft have never once done an in-flight refueling with the President on board because it’s one of the most dangerous operations one of these planes can do. (BTW, it was thought that it would be a cost- and time-saving measure to start with two aircraft that were originally built for a Russian airline that went bankrupt and were subsequently mothballed in the desert. That has turned out not to be the case. The aircraft basically had to be disassembled and rebuilt. The delivery timeline has stretched out by years—from 2024 to 2028 or even later—and the price has doubled to over $6B for the two planes.) ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2026, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-qatari-jet/1030142/66 "2026-07-22T12:23:48Z")
> [@robby](#): > > Also, modern jet engines are much more efficient than ones in the older aircraft, and the current VC-25A aircraft have never once done an in-flight refueling with the President on board because it’s one of the most dangerous operations one of these planes can do. I thought the refueling was so the ‘Flying White House’ could stay in the air indefinitely. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2026, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-qatari-jet/1030142/67 "2026-07-22T14:18:57Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > I thought the refueling was so the ‘Flying White House’ could stay in the air indefinitely. You can’t change the oil in flight, so you can only stay up for a limited time even with refueling. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2026, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-qatari-jet/1030142/68 "2026-07-22T14:40:26Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > You can’t change the oil in flight, so you can only stay up for a limited time even with refueling. Well sure, it needs maintenance, But fuel and food come first. Our nuc subs are limited by how much food they can carry. ---
**Author:** ![robby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robby/32/11048_2.png) [@robby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robby)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2026, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-qatari-jet/1030142/69 "2026-07-22T15:09:22Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > Our nuc subs are limited by how much food they can carry. Or until something critical breaks that can’t be repaired on board. ---
**Author:** ![robby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robby/32/11048_2.png) [@robby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robby)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2026, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-qatari-jet/1030142/70 "2026-07-22T15:16:04Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > > [@robby](#): > > > > Also, modern jet engines are much more efficient than ones in the older aircraft, and the current VC-25A aircraft have never once done an in-flight refueling with the President on board because it’s one of the most dangerous operations one of these planes can do. > > I thought the refueling was so the ‘Flying White House’ could stay in the air indefinitely. Nope. You’re probably conflating Air Force One with the [Looking Glass](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Looking_Glass) and [TACAMO](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TACAMO) aircraft (which is a common mistake). ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2026, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-qatari-jet/1030142/71 "2026-07-22T15:17:07Z")
> [@robby](#): > > Nope. You’re probably conflating Air Force One with the [Looking Glass](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Looking_Glass) and [TACAMO](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TACAMO) aircraft (which is a common mistake). Oh, OK. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2026, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-qatari-jet/1030142/72 "2026-07-22T15:40:57Z")
Or also the NAOC (formerly NEACP). > **[Boeing E-4](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_E-4)** > > The Boeing E-4 Advanced Airborne Command Post (AACP), the current "Nightwatch" aircraft, is a series of strategic command and control military aircraft operated by the United States Air Force (USAF). The E-4 series are specially modified from the Boeing 747-200B for the National Emergency Airborne Command Post (NEACP) program. One of its primary purposes is continuity of government during nuclear warfare, thus being nicknamed the "Doomsday plane". The E-4 serves as a survivable mobile command p... [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/gBAj9Mv21l0/maxresdefault.jpg "A U.S. KC-135 from RAF Mildenhall refuels an E-4B Nightwatch from Offutt AFB over the Atlantic") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gBAj9Mv21l0) Somewhat more on-point, since the E4-B, like the VC-25A, is based on an old 747 airframe (-200). ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Feldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lord_feldon/32/341_2.png) [@Lord\_Feldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Feldon)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2026, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-qatari-jet/1030142/73 "2026-07-22T15:50:24Z")
I think the E-4C, which is also being converted from second-hand 747-8s, will continue to have the ability to refuel. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2026, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-qatari-jet/1030142/74 "2026-07-22T16:17:26Z")
It seems like the 747 is still the go-to airframe for anything that needs to carry a large unspecified payload that stays on the aircraft. Now that 747s are going out of service, is anyone making similar modifications to Airbus 380s, or any other large plane? I know that there are a few larger military planes, but from what I’ve heard, they all have very low reliability. ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2026, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-qatari-jet/1030142/75 "2026-07-22T16:39:11Z")
> [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](#): > > Why are tax dollars being spent on this thing? The reason, which has been proven over and over again for years, is that he can do whatever he wants. I actually think the real possibility exists that, if he suddenly flipped out completely and nuked Tehran, he would still escape impreachment. We would have a president with an Interpol Red Notice. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2026, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-qatari-jet/1030142/76 "2026-07-22T17:45:36Z")
> [@robby](#): > > > [@enipla](#): > > > > Our nuc subs are limited by how much food they can carry. > > Or until something critical breaks that can’t be repaired on board. _Can’t be repaired on board_ seems to be fairly rare. On my last boat, a large pump motor burned out, and one of the officers in Engineering drafted an EM (Electrcian’s Mate) to assist with rewinding a stator coil. They finished it within a couple of days, dipped it in resin, cured it, and had it back on line in less than a week. ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2026, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-qatari-jet/1030142/77 "2026-07-22T17:53:27Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Now that 747s are going out of service, is anyone making similar modifications to Airbus 380s, or any other large plane? The US Air Force has been quite reticent to base a mission aircraft on a non-US airframe, for a variety of reasons (e.g., “national security”, “domestic supply chain”, “indigenous pork barrel”). ---
**Author:** ![robby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robby/32/11048_2.png) [@robby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robby)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2026, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-qatari-jet/1030142/78 "2026-07-22T18:13:11Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > > [@robby](#): > > > > > [@enipla](#): > > > > > > Our nuc subs are limited by how much food they can carry. > > > > Or until something critical breaks that can’t be repaired on board. > > _Can’t be repaired on board_ seems to be fairly rare. I’d say it heavily depends on how old and/or well-maintained the boat is. And what breaks, of course. > [@kaylasdad99](#): > > …On my last boat, a large pump motor burned out, and one of the officers in Engineering drafted an EM (Electrcian’s Mate) to assist with rewinding a stator coil. They finished it within a couple of days, dipped it in resin, cured it, and had it back on line in less than a week. Nice job! That’s impressive you had the expertise and materials onboard to do this. We had a short in the windings of an ASW (auxiliary seawater) pump, but because we were in port, we just replaced it. (Discovered a ground on a Saturday morning, and were torching interfering metal grating and removing the pump within an hour.) At sea, we once lost an ESGN inertial navigation unit. Totally unrepairable at sea. Fortunately, there are backups, but with only two operational units, you don’t know which one is right if they disagree. Anyway, they flew a replacement unit out to meet us at an overseas port a few weeks later. One thing we did repair at sea was one of the SSMG units that went down. (The ship’s service motor generator converts AC to DC and vice versa.) ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2026, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-qatari-jet/1030142/79 "2026-07-22T18:32:19Z")
I’m sure that, if they had been in port at the time, they’d have swapped in a new one. But there’s a sort of critical economy of scale, where it makes more sense to include the machinery that can make (almost) anything, than it does to carry individual spare parts. Of course, a ship, even a submarine, is a lot bigger than any airplane, so there’s room to include make-anything equipment. A ship also has the ability to go mostly idle while out at sea for an extended time, if that’s necessary to make repairs: Unless there’s serious hull damage, it’ll just float. But the things that make an airplane fly absolutely have to keep on working, or you’re not flying any more. ---
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2026, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-qatari-jet/1030142/80 "2026-07-22T18:35:08Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > But the things that make an airplane fly absolutely have to keep on working, or you’re not flying any more. [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/BunuX9NdxSo/hqdefault.jpg "The Simpsons - We Need That To Live") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BunuX9NdxSo) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-qatari-jet/1030142.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-qatari-jet/1030142.md?page=5)