Donald Trump has arrived in the UK for his second state visit as US president, accompanied by dozens of staff and a significant security operation costing millions of pounds. The president's safety involves his own Secret Service detail and thousands of local police officers, with more than 6,000 Metropolitan Police deployed during his 2019 visit at an estimated cost of £3.4m.
Security has been heightened following the fatal shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk at a university in Utah. Ronald Kessler, an expert on the Secret Service, noted that preparations begin weeks in advance, including discussions with local police and surveillance of potential threats. Approximately 60 Secret Service agents are typically assigned to protect the president directly, supported by local police for cordons, traffic control, and airspace security.
Trump and his wife Melania arrived on Air Force One, a customised Boeing 747-200B aircraft equipped with advanced electronic systems and defence mechanisms, including radar jamming and flare ejection to counter heat-seeking missiles. The plane can refuel midair for unlimited flight time. Inside, it features 4,000 sq ft of space across three levels, with a presidential suite, medical facility, and areas for staff and press.
On the ground, Trump travels in 'The Beast', an armoured limousine weighing about nine tonnes, with bulletproof windows, tear gas grenade launchers, night vision cameras, and a satellite phone. Two identical versions are used, one as a decoy with the same licence plates. The presidential motorcade includes over a dozen vehicles, such as police outriders, counter-assault teams, and an armoured SUV communications vehicle.
Trump is expected to travel mostly by air, using a fleet of helicopters including Marine One, a Sikorsky VH-3D Sea King with missile defence and radar jamming systems. The helicopter carried him from Stansted Airport to central London on Tuesday night.
