Is Trump’s ‘F-55’ fighter jet real?

“One of many issues, for the folks which might be within the navy, that I requested to look into—the F-35,” President Trump informed an viewers in Qatar on Thursday, launching right into a minutes-long disquisition that left protection officers and aviation specialists questioning simply what he was speaking about.

“We’re doing an improve, a easy improve, however we’re additionally doing an F-55. I’m going to name it an F-55, and that’s going to be a considerable improve, however it’s going to be additionally with two engines, as a result of an F-35 has a single engine. I don’t like single engines,” the president stated throughout a press convention in Doha, the second cease on the primary worldwide journey of his second presidential time period. “Even this man [GE Aerospace CEO Larry Culp], he’s one of the best on the earth at engines, however every so often, I do know you received’t admit this, if an engine goes out it’s good to have two, three or 4. That’s why I just like the 747, it’s obtained 4. In the present day they’re getting very huge and, just a little extra price saving to have two very, very huge ones. Irrespective of how good, you already know, they inform me, Larry, the engine won’t ever exit. Effectively, I feel it goes out every so often, pretty not often. 

“We’re going to do an F-55 and I feel, if we get the appropriate value, we now have to get the appropriate value, and that can be two engines, and a brilliant improve on the F-35 after which we’re going to do the F-22. I feel essentially the most stunning fighter jet on the earth is the F-22, however we’re going to do an F-22 Tremendous, and it is going to be a really trendy model of the F-22 fighter jet.” 

The phrases “F-55” and “F-22 Tremendous” don’t seem to have been beforehand talked about in public by U.S. officers. 

Requested about Trump’s phrases, the F-35 Joint Program Workplace and the Workplace of the Secretary of Protection deferred inquiries to the White Home. The White Home didn’t reply to questions in time for publication.

Protection specialists and a former protection official stated Trump may need been conflating current applications such because the Air Pressure’s sixth-generation F-47, upgrades for the F-35, and presumably the Navy’s F/A-XX program.

“I feel he’s confused. Very confused,” one former Air Pressure official stated. “I can’t even think about what it’s wish to attempt to transient him.” 

Trump appeared to point that the “F-55” could be a two-engine model of the F-35, however such a modification would require a complete redesign of the airframe, basically leading to a brand new airplane. 

Trump’s feedback come weeks after Lockheed Martin CEO Jim Taiclet stated the corporate is engaged on an improve to “supercharge” the F-35 and ship 80% of sixth-generation functionality at half the worth. However Lockheed is speaking about higher avionics and sensors, not a redesign to double the variety of engines. How Trump’s proposed “F-55” coincides with Lockheed’s plans, if in any respect, stays to be seen. 

Additionally it is potential that Trump was interested by the two-engine F-47, a sixth-generation fighter jet that Boeing received the contract to construct in March. 

Yet one more risk is that Trump was speaking concerning the Navy’s F/A-XX, a distinct next-gen fighter jet meant to exchange the F/A-18 Tremendous Hornet. Boeing and Northrop Grumman are competing to design and construct the F/A-XX, which is anticipated to have two engines. However this system is in limbo: some Pentagon officers need to delay the contract award as much as three years to make use of the cash elsewhere, Reuters reported on Wednesday.

In his Thursday remarks, Trump additionally talked about an “F-22 Tremendous.” The Air Pressure is already modernizing a few of its Raptor fleet, however it’s unclear whether or not the president was referring to that effort or one thing else totally. There’s been no public point out of an improve past that.

On the subject of the F-22, Trump continued, “And I don’t know if you already know it, however who copied it? China. They copied it. I stated, I’m trying. They stated, that’s the F-22. They copied our design however they’re not going to have the ability to copy our engines too rapidly or anything. So we’re going to be doing an F-22 Tremendous. And this can be a airplane like no—to me, it’s essentially the most stunning fighter airplane ever made, and so I need to do this.”  

The president added, “Generally they do stealth. I am not an enormous believer in stealth as a result of stealth is—mainly lots of it’s the design and the form. But additionally if that’s the case, they’re going to determine it out fairly quick, I feel. So you are going to design an unpleasant airplane for stealth causes after which six months later they’re going to determine this out and then you definitely’re going to be caught with an unpleasant airplane.”

In an announcement, Lockheed stated, “We thank President Trump for his assist of the F-35 and F-22 and can proceed to work intently with the Administration to understand its imaginative and prescient for air dominance.”