★ Government Action
Qatar donates luxury Boeing 747 to U.S. defense department
Gulf Money, U.S. FavorsWhere the Settlements Went
Filed July 2025
★ The Brief
What happened
The memorandum of understanding signed by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Qatar's Minister of State for Defense Affairs stipulates the aircraft is donated "as is" for use at the Defense Department's discretion.
Who enabled it
Who benefits
Deal or steal?
ABC News reported the plane is set to transfer to Trump's presidential library foundation after his presidency. The Air Force pulled retrofit funding from the Sentinel ICBM nuclear-weapons program to prepare the aircraft.
★ Cast your vote
A memorandum of understanding signed in July 2025 by U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Qatar's Minister of State for Defense Affairs, Soud bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, formalized Qatar's unconditional donation of a luxury Boeing 747 — nicknamed a 'flying palace' — to the U.S. Department of Defense. The MOU stipulates the aircraft is donated 'as is' and may be used or disposed of by the DOD at its sole discretion. The agreement contains no requirement specifying what must happen to the plane after President Trump leaves office. Sources previously told ABC News that the plan calls for transferring the aircraft to the Trump presidential library foundation after Trump's presidency ends.
Further reading
- ★ Government ActionJune 2025Air Force pulls Qatar jet retrofit funds from Sentinel ICBM program
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- ★ Private ActionSeptember 2025Dar Global launches $1B Trump Plaza Jeddah, second Saudi collaboration
- ★ Government ActionSeptember 2025Trump TikTok deal names Tahnoon's MGX as U.S. operator