The U.S. Air Force is reallocating funds from its over-budget LGM-35A Sentinel missile program to support the conversion of a Boeing 747-8 donated by Qatar into a future presidential transport aircraft.
Air Force Secretary Troy Meink told the Senate Appropriations defense subcommittee on June 26 that the funds were not immediately needed due to the Sentinel program’s restructuring.
The program is currently being restructured after significant delays and unexpected costs drove its estimated price tag to nearly $141 billion—about 81 percent above original projections.