A LAVISH jumbo jet Donald Trump plans to receive from Qatar will be vulnerable to hacking, an expert has warned.
The Boeing 747 – dubbed a “palace in the sky” – could even be blasted out the sky, aviation specialist Jeff Wise believes.
President Trump, who is 78 years old, has caused concern by showing interest in accepting a luxurious aircraft, valued at around $400 million (£300 million), from the royal family of Qatar.
The 13-year-old mega jet would be kitted out with top-tier communications and security tech before being used as Air Force One to ferry Trump about.
It would need significant retrofitting and clearance from security officials.
According to aviation expert Wise, it would require several years and billions of dollars to even come close to the security standards provided by the current Air Force One.
He fears Trump will bypass necessary measures – which could therefore invite hacking or a devastating assassination attempt.
Wise shared with The Sun, “This potential Air Force One would be a prime target for intelligence gathering by hostile nations and even by our own allies, as allies often engage in espionage activities against each other.”
“The United States is being given this albatross that they are going to have to spend billions of dollars on to fix up for the personal use of Trump.
“If your job is to protect the President of the United States or if your job is to protect the secrets of the United States, then this is a massive headache for you.
“This is a plane that does not have secure communications and the anti-missiles defence systems that a normal Air Force One has. It’s just wide open.
“This is an administration that is completely irresponsible in the way they use their personal devices. They’re using these off-brand apps to communicate. It’s just a hacker’s dream.”
The main aircraft used in the current Air Force One fleet includes two Boeing 747-200 jumbo jets.
They have been operational since 1990 and are said to be not up to scratch compared to modern planes.
But the Air Force contract with Boeing to replace those aircraft has been plagued by delays and budget overruns.
The original contract was signed in 2018 – but last year Boeing predicted that the jet would not be ready until 2029.
By then, Trump will have left office.
Wise fears shortcuts could be used to get the jumbo jet in operation before the end of Trump’s second term – which could spell disaster.
He added: “If you try to do something quickly, of course it’s going to be compromised.
“Of course it’s not going to have the same level of capabilities. Now, what are you going to decide to cut? What are you going to decide to leave out?
“It’s not realistic that you’re going to make it safe in the way that an Air Force One has traditionally been safe. Everything has been traditionally done to a certain standard.
“Of course you’re not going to match those standards.”
Wise pointed to Iran as one example of a nation that might attempt a missile attack on the potential Air Force One.
Former security advisor to Trump, John Bolton, said earlier this month he and the President are on an “assassination list” from the seething Middle East country.
It follows the assassination of military leader Qasem Soleimani in 2020, who was killed in a US airstrike ordered by Trump.
Wise continued: “I would say an increasing number of people would like to target Air Force One.
“America’s list of enemies is growing longer and longer as we become an increasingly horrible nation, from the Houthis to the Iranians to the Russians.”
He added: “It’s hard to parse the motives of an adversary. Would they really benefit from killing Trump? You can easily imagine it. Remember, we assassinated one of their leaders.”
Wise warned rival rogue nations will already be wondering how to target the jet.
He said: “Imagine all the people who surround an airplane when it’s on the tarmac at an airport. Refuelers, caterers, security etc.
“It’s easy to imagine a foreign intelligence service getting their people into this crew and physically having contact with this plane, installing monitoring devices or what have you.
“So anyone who’s worth their salt is going to be trying to break through what would normally be considerable defensive measures that would normally surround a plane like this.”
Wise added: “I think you’re looking at this plane being bugged. I think you’re potentially having listening devices, recording devices, both audio and radio frequency being installed potentially anywhere on this fairly massive airplane.
“So it would be a huge job to try to sweep it and make sure it’s not compromised.”
Trump insists it will benefit US taxpayers by serving as a temporary replacement for Air Force One.
But the plane has raised ethical questions about what would be the most expensive gift ever received by a US President, by far.
Wise has long warned of the potential for evil world leaders to target aviation to hurt the West.
Earlier this month, he warned Russian war monster Vladimir Putin is plotting a deadly cyber attack that could result in planes falling out of the sky.
He pointed towards a string of explosions and cyber attacks Putin has been linked with.
This includes a letter bomb that was planted on a plane to Britain, but instead set fire to a DHL warehouse in Birmingham.
He rocked the aviation industry in 2014 when he claimed Russia had hijacked missing plane MH370 and flew it to Kazakhstan.
Just months later Russia shot down flight MH17, killing all 283 on board during a commercial flight from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur.
Russia has always denied responsibility.
