How Iranian Shoulder-Fired Missile Threat Near NATO Summit Forced Trump To Secretly Swap Planes In Turkey

Published 12 August 2026 · world

News world How Iranian Shoulder-Fired Missile Threat Near NATO Summit Forced Trump To Secretly Swap Planes In Turkey How Iranian Shoulder-Fired Missile Threat Near NATO

News world How Iranian Shoulder-Fired Missile Threat Near NATO Summit Forced Trump To Secretly Swap Planes In Turkey How Iranian Shoulder-Fired Missile Threat Near NATO Summit Forced Trump To Secretly Swap Planes In Turkey Published By, Last Updated: August 12, 2026, 17:20 IST A shoulder-fired missile threat near the NATO summit reportedly prompted Trump to secretly swap planes and leave Turkey under heightened security. US President Donald Trump gestures in front of Air Force One after disembarking from the older VC-25A Air Force One at Royal Air Force (RAF) Mildenhall in Mildenhall. (AFP file photo) US President Donald Trump secretly switched planes while leaving Turkey after US intelligence detected what officials described as a credible Iranian threat to fire a surface-to-air missile at Air Force One, according to reports. Two officials told The New York Times that the threat emerged after someone was seen near the NATO summit with a shoulder-fired missile. Iranian operatives were also reportedly aware of where Trump was staying in Ankara, including the floor of the building. The security warnings prompted the Secret Service to order a covert operation in which Trump hid in an airport catering lorry before being transferred to a military aircraft. How Trump Secretly Switched Planes The operation unfolded after Trump publicly boarded the blue-and-white Boeing 747 that serves as Air Force One. On July 8, Trump climbed the aircraft’s primary staircase in full view of television cameras and waved to the crowd before entering the plane.

Minutes later, on the other side of the aircraft, Trump and a small group of senior aides stepped into an elevated food lorry normally used to load meals on to the aircraft. The container was then lowered and driven across the tarmac to a waiting US Air Force C-32A, a modified Boeing 757 operating under the military call sign “Reach 18". Its primary tracking transponders had been switched off. Meanwhile, White House staff and journalists boarded the presidential Boeing 747 as usual, unaware that Trump was no longer on board. The aircraft was effectively being used as a decoy. Air Force One Becomes A Decoy During the flight, the decoy aircraft switched its transponder to broadcast the “AF1" call sign, drawing attention away from Trump’s actual location. Journalists on board were repeatedly instructed to keep the window blinds closed. The measure was intended to prevent them from seeing the president switch aircraft. The covert C-32A flight eventually landed at RAF Mildenhall in Suffolk at 10.20 pm. Trump was then covertly transferred back on to the main presidential 747 before emerging on the tarmac to greet British base staff. Asked why the window shades had been kept closed, Trump said the passengers were “probably on a dangerous flight" because of the threats the US faces. On Tuesday night, he added, “I have a lot of threats that you don’t know about." Trump Says He Followed Secret Service Advice Trump addressed the operation publicly for the first time on Tuesday evening.