Clandestine Jet Switch in Ankara
President Donald Trump was secretly moved from Air Force One to a smaller government jet during a July 8 trip to Turkey after U.S. and Turkish intelligence detected a credible, imminent threat from a shoulder-fired missile, according to a person briefed on the matter. The extraordinary security maneuver, first reported by The Washington Post, unfolded on the final day of the president’s visit to Ankara for a NATO summit amid heightened regional tensions with Iran.
The Secret Service acted quickly when the intelligence emerged, according to the source cited by Reuters. Officials devised the clandestine plane switch at the last minute because they had little time to prepare. A second source briefed on the matter told Reuters that hostile actors possessed the intent to execute a strike rather than a detailed operational plan, which influenced the decision to allow the flights to proceed.
Catering Truck Transfer for Inner Circle
Trump and a small group of aides used a catering truck to surreptitiously transfer from the large presidential aircraft to a smaller, nondescript C-32A jet for the departure flight from Turkey. While Trump boarded the secondary aircraft, Air Force One departed separately with senior administration officials, White House staff, and a traveling press pool.
White House deputy chief of staff Dan Scavino, executive assistant Natalie Harp, and director of Oval Office operations Walt Nauta joined Trump in the catering truck during the transfer, according to reporting confirmed by Reuters. Meanwhile, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, White House communications director Steven Cheung, and other aides remained aboard the decoy Air Force One alongside a 13-person press pool.
Presidential Confirmation and Flight Path
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Trump confirmed he made the switch at the direction of the Secret Service. “I think actually the plane that I flew on was at greater risk,” Trump told reporters without providing evidence, according to Reuters. “I think it was at greater risk because that would be the plane I think that they would be more likely to go for.” He flew from Ankara to a refueling stop in Britain without incident.
Heat-Seeking Missile Concerns
Douglas Birkey, executive director of the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies, told Reuters the reported threat likely involved a modern heat-seeking missile capable of homing in on hot aircraft engines. These weapons have drawn increasing concern from military planners because they are harder to detect than traditional radar-guided threats and do not emit detectable radio waves. Birkey pointed to specific models such as the Iranian SA-67 rail launcher and the Russian-made 9K333 Verba shoulder-mounted system.
Iranian Tracking and Historical Precedents
In addition to the missile threat, The New York Times reported that U.S. officials discovered Iranian intelligence had tracked Trump’s exact location in Ankara, including the specific floor where he stayed in his hotel. The operation shares tactical similarities with past presidential decoy missions. In March 2000, former President Bill Clinton secretly switched to a decoy jet bearing Air Force One markings during a tightly secured trip to Islamabad, Pakistan, a maneuver later confirmed by participants.