WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump flew partway home from a NATO summit in Turkey on an old baby blue Air Force One plane instead of the new Qatari-gifted and retrofitted red, white and navy blue jet he arrived in, a surprise swap that came as the U.S.and Iran once again began trading strikes.Trump offered little clarity on the swap, instead saying he would fly on the legacy aircraft "for old time's sake," and indicating that both aircraft would make a previously unscheduled stop on the way back to the United States at Royal Air Force Mildenhall, a base used by U.S.
troops.The travel switch raised fresh security questions about the new aircraft that the U.S.spent $400 million to retrofit.
Images of the Qatari-gifted jet captured since its unveiling show it is not equipped with some of the same missile detection and countermeasure systems as the older jets.Trump boarded the new jet at Mildenhall, and it promptly took off for Joint Base Andrews outside Washington after he greeted service members stationed there."We just landed and met up with our new Air Force One, which was sent earlier to RAF Mildenhall, so we could show the wonderful Servicemembers, as per the entire Base's request," the Republican president said on social media."They were very excited."He said stopping at Mildenhall "was on our way back to the States from Turkey, with virtually no deviation of flightpath."During the flight, Trump denied to the reporters accompanying him that security concerns involving Iran were a factor in flying two planes home.
Asked if he was aware of any credible threats against Air Force One by Iran, Trump brushed off the question."I have a threat all the time.I'm No.
1 on their list," he said, repeating comments from earlier Wednesday that he is one of Iran's top assassination targets.When the reporters asked Trump if he knew why they were asked to keep their window blinds closed during the flight from Turkey to the U.K.aboard the older Air Force One, Trump replied ...