Trump mentions 'F-55' and 'F-22 Super' fighters in speech in Qatar
The US Department of Defense is studying new fighters to reinforce the development of the Boeing F-47, a result of the NGAD program, said President Donald Trump.
In a speech made on Thursday in Doha, Qatar, the Republican even mentioned a new designation, F-55, for what is understood to be a twin-engine variant of the F-35.
Trump also promised an “F-22 Super”, a “very modern” version of the Air Force’s Raptor.
The US president’s words surprised experts, after all, none of these projects seem to make sense.
https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1922921106828124659
“I’m going to call it an F-55, and that is going to be a substantial upgrade, but it’s also going to be with two engines, because the F-35 has a single engine, I don’t like single engines”, he said.
A twin-engine variant of the F-35 is a complex project since accommodating a second turbofan means profoundly changing its structure, among other aspects.
Lockheed Martin, in fact, promised to create an advanced variant of the Lightning II capable of 80% of the F-47 for a much lower price, but it doesn’t seem like this would be achieved with two engines.
Alternative to the F/A-XX?
Regarding the updated F-22, more reservations. The world’s first 5th generation fighter was developed in the 1990s and it would be hard to imagine that a resumption of production would come cheap.
For some observers, Trump may have been confused with well-known programs such as the aforementioned F-35 upgrade and the installation of new sensors on the F-22.
Some people suggest that the F-55 could be an alternative to the F/A-XX, the US Navy’s new fighter.
Boeing and Northrop Grumman are currently competing to replace the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet as a 6th generation aircraft, but the Navy has encountered resistance from the Pentagon, which does not see the financial resources or production capacity to do so.
An aircraft based on the F-35 could fill this gap in a cheaper and faster way, at least in theory. And it would also occupy Lockheed Martin, which is not involved in the three major US advanced aircraft programs (NGAD, F/A-XX and the B-21).
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Ricardo Meier
Creator of the website that started in 1996 as a magazine. He also writes on Brazilian websites AUTOO, MOTOO and MetrôCPTM.
