On Wednesday evening, US President Donald Trump left Turkey on board the old US presidential plane, “Air Force One,” instead of the new “Boeing 747-8” that the United States obtained as a gift from Qatar, in a precautionary step that coincided with the escalation of the military confrontation between Washington and Tehran.

Informed sources reported that the decision to change the plane came based on a recommendation from the US Secret Service, as a preventive measure, and not as a result of a specific security threat.

The decision raised questions about the readiness of the new presidential plane, and whether it has completed all the necessary protection and defense systems, despite the pressure previously exerted by Trump to put it into service as quickly as possible.

On the other hand, White House Communications Director Stephen Cheung confirmed that the new plane is one of the most modern planes in the world, and has been equipped with advanced security measures to ensure the safety of the president and his accompanying delegation.

He added that the US administration is also adopting security camouflage and deception measures to protect the president, in light of what he described as threats targeting the United States and its president.

However, sources familiar with the plane’s equipment indicated that it still lacks some of the defensive capabilities found in the old presidential plane, considering that the return to its use was purely for precautionary reasons.

Trump had used the new plane on his trip to Turkey to participate in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit, but the renewed military confrontation with Iran and the implementation of strikes by the United States inside Iranian territory prompted the security services to modify the arrangements for the return flight.

However, Trump denied that the replacement of the plane was related to security concerns, stressing that the goal was to send the new plane to Mildenhall Air Force Base in Britain to display it to American soldiers, describing it as a “wonderful plane.”

However, the US President repeated, during his stay in Ankara, that he considers himself “Iran’s first target,” noting that he had seen a list of targets that Tehran had set in recent days.

Trump wrote on the Truth Social platform that he would return to the United States on the old plane “for memories,” while the new plane would head to Britain.

It was reported that Trump boarded the old plane before the journalists accompanying him arrived, and passengers were asked to close the plane’s windows before take-off. After its arrival at Mildenhall Base, the President transferred to the new plane to continue his trip to Washington.

The old presidential plane has advanced defense systems, including means of jamming anti-aircraft missiles and launching metal chips to deceive the missiles, while it is not yet clear whether these systems have been fully transferred to the new plane.

This step comes in light of an unprecedented escalation of tension between the United States and Iran, after the exchange of military strikes in recent days, which prompted the American security services to tighten measures to protect the president. The incident also highlights the importance of the US presidential protection system, which is considered one of the most advanced in the world, at a time when the new presidential plane is still undergoing completion of some defensive equipment before it is fully adopted for sensitive presidential missions.