The $300 million palatial Boeing 747 gifted by the Emir of Qatar is being transformed into the mighty Air Force One at lightning speed. Slated for a summer delivery, it is already undergoing test flights over the skies of Texas under the call sign ‘Vader 01’ – Luxurylaunches
The VVIP Boeing 747-8i donated by Qatar to the United States and now being converted into an interim Air Force One has entered the flight-testing phase, marking a critical step in its transformation from a luxury state transport into a presidential airlifter. After months of modification work in Texas, the aircraft has returned to the air for a series of evaluation flights to validate its systems, integration, and overall readiness ahead of an expected delivery timeline in the summer of 2026.
Several days back, the jet departed from its current base at the L3Harris Technologies facility at Greenville Municipal Airport – Majors Field and carried out a looping test flight over Tulsa, Amarillo, Abilene, and Waco before returning to the same airfield. A plane spotter named TT-33 operator was able to capture the aircraft.
Source:
https://luxurylaunches.com/other_stuff/qatar-747-conversion-at-full-speed-04202026.php
Diem ‘Richard’ Nguyen
Liên Minh Bảo Hiến Mỹ Gốc Việt
Vietnamese American Conservative Alliance (VACA)
https://freedom-vaca.org/vaca-blog-tieng-viet-nam/