L3 Harris tapped to modify Qatari jet as potential new Air Force One after years of Boeing delays

The U.S. is working with L3Harris Technologies to modify a used Qatari government jumbo jet in what could become a new presidential plane, according to a person familiar with the matter.

The work comes after President Donald Trump earlier this year expressed frustration about delays in modification work from Boeing. Trump struck a deal with Boeing in his first term to retrofit two 747s to serve as the next Air Force One aircraft. But after delays, the planes might not be ready before the end of his term.

L3Harris and Boeing declined to comment. The White House didn't immediately comment.

Trump told reporters in February that he is considering alternatives for the delayed Boeing 747s, which have cost Boeing more than $2 billion in overruns.

"We may buy a plane or get a plane, or something," he said, according to a Reuters report at the time, as he toured the Qatari 747 that was parked at Florida's Palm Beach Airport.

Boeing's CEO, Kelly Ortberg, said on an April 23 earnings call that "we continue to work with the customer to revise the program plan to allow for an earlier first delivery while maintaining our focus on safety and quality."

Ortberg said in January that the company had been working with Trump advisor Elon Musk to deliver the planes sooner.

Despite Trump's frustration with Boeing's delays in delivering the new Air Force One planes, the U.S. Air Force in March awarded Boeing a contract to build the country's next-generation fighter jet, a deal analysts estimate to be worth around $20 billion or more.

"In terms of all of the attributes of a fighter jet, there's never been anything even close to it, from speed to maneuverability, to what it can have, to payload. And this has been in the works for a long period of time," Trump said in a news release on March 21. "America's enemies will never see it coming."