In an elaborate ruse straight out of a movie subplot, US President Donald Trump was secretly whisked off a Boeing 747 Air Force One in Turkey in July 2026, driven across the airport hidden inside a catering truck and flown to Britain aboard a Boeing 757 as part of an operation to protect him from a possible Iranian attempt on his life.
The operation involved three presidential aircraft, a decoy flight carrying reporters who believed Trump was aboard and a second switch after landing in Britain that allowed the president to emerge publicly from the same 747 he had supposedly flown from Turkey.
Trump had traveled to Ankara for a NATO summit aboard the recently converted Boeing 747-8 donated to the United States by Qatar. The aircraft, sometimes called the VC-25B Bridge, entered presidential service in July as an interim replacement while Boeing continues work on two new VC-25Bs.
But Trump announced before leaving Turkey on July 8 that he would not use the new jet for the flight to Britain. Instead, he said he would take one of the older VC-25A Boeing 747-200Bs “for old time’s sake,” while the Qatar-supplied aircraft flew ahead to RAF Mildenhall so US service members there could see it.
That was not what actually happened. The red-white-and-blue Qatar-supplied 747 departed Ankara first. Trump then arrived at the legacy robin’s-egg-blue VC-25A, climbed the stairs in front of television cameras and waved before disappearing inside. Reporters and some White House staff prepared to travel aboard the aircraft believing the president was with them.
Minutes later, a catering truck positioned against a door on the opposite side of the 747 was raised to the aircraft using its hydraulic lift. Trump and several aides secretly entered the truck through the aircraft door, were lowered to the ramp and driven across the airport to a waiting US Air Force C-32A.
The C-32A is the military version of the Boeing 757-200 used by the Air Force to carry the vice president and other senior US officials. The type also regularly accompanies presidential trips as a backup aircraft and can carry the president when necessary.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth boarded the C-32A separately using conventional stairs, helping make the aircraft’s departure appear routine. He then flew with Trump to the UK.
Meanwhile, the VC-25A departed Ankara with the White House press corps and some staff aboard, but without Trump. Reporters were instructed to keep the window shades in the cabin closed.
The deception extended to the aircraft’s electronic identity. The C-32A carrying Trump used the military call sign RCH18, or Reach 18, rather than Air Force One, and was not readily visible on public flight-tracking services. The legacy VC-25A continued toward the UK appearing to be the presidential aircraft.
Details of the elaborate security operation were first reported by The Washington Post on August 10, 2026, with Reuters and other news organizations subsequently confirming key elements of the account.
Air Force One is not the name of a particular airplane. It is the call sign normally assigned to any US Air Force aircraft carrying the president. In this case, hiding which aircraft actually carried Trump was the centerpiece of the clandestine operation.
The C-32A carrying Trump reached RAF Mildenhall at about 22:20 local time, several minutes before the VC-25A carrying the press.
Trump was later seen walking down the stairs of the VC-25A at Mildenhall at 22:56, meaning he had been moved from the C-32A back aboard the 747 after the two aircraft arrived. Exactly how that transfer was carried out has not been disclosed.
The public appearance preserved the impression that Trump had flown aboard the VC-25A all the way from Ankara.
After greeting US military personnel at Mildenhall, Trump walked to the Qatar-supplied 747-8 that had arrived earlier and boarded it for the flight back to the United States.
The Secret Service made a hasty decision to concoct the plane-switching plot after US intelligence identified a threat against Trump or his aircraft as tensions between Washington and Tehran suddenly escalated during the NATO summit. Turkey shares a long border with Iran, and the operation took place shortly after the US renewed military strikes against Iran.
The threat also came shortly after Trump began using the Qatar-supplied 747-8. The aircraft underwent a rapid conversion for presidential service but does not have all of the defensive capabilities installed on the highly modified VC-25As. It is expected to undergo security upgrades before returning to service soon.
White House Communications Director Steven Cheung said there are “many enemies of America” targeting Trump and that officials use every available tool to protect him.
Using another aircraft to disguise a president’s movements is not unprecedented. President Bill Clinton flew into Pakistan aboard an unmarked aircraft in 2000 while the more recognizable Air Force One served as a decoy. US officials say similar tactics have been used on other occasions when threats warranted.