Air Force Affirms $400 Million Cost Estimate for Jet from Qatar

A Qatari Boeing 747 on the tarmac of Palm Beach International airport in Florida. 

Photographer: Roberto Schmidt/AFP/Getty Images

A top Air Force official affirmed that an aircraft Qatar gave to the US as an interim presidential jet will cost about $400 million to retrofit.

William Bailey, the acting assistant secretary of the Air Force for acquisition, cited the figure in testimony before a House Armed Services subcommittee hearing on Wednesday. He declined to elaborate on the plane’s capabilities.