US President Donald Trump on Thursday revealed that the United States is weighing the development of a new twin-engine fighter jet, tentatively called the F-55, alongside a significant upgrade to its existing Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor fleet.Speaking in Doha during a meeting with aerospace executives, including leaders from Boeing and GE Aerospace, Trump positioned the F-55 as both a potential evolution of the F-35 and a standalone programme. He also confirmed the F-22 was in line for a next-generation upgrade.
“We’re going to do an F-55 and — I think, if we get the right price, we have to get the right price — that’ll be two engines and a super upgrade on the F-35, and then we’re going to do the F-22,” Trump said. “I think the most beautiful fighter jet in the world is the F-22 but we’re going to do an F-22 Super and it’ll be a very modern version of the fighter jet.”
His comments follow the recent awarding of the F-47 air dominance platform contract to Boeing — a sixth-generation crewed aircraft expected to replace the F-22, supported by autonomous drones.Also Read: Trump says India has offered US a trade deal with ‘basically no tariffs’
“We’re going to do an F-55 and — I think, if we get the right price, we have to get the right price — that’ll be two engines and a super upgrade on the F-35, and then we’re going to do the F-22,” Trump said. “I think the most beautiful fighter jet in the world is the F-22 but we’re going to do an F-22 Super and it’ll be a very modern version of the fighter jet.”
His comments follow the recent awarding of the F-47 air dominance platform contract to Boeing — a sixth-generation crewed aircraft expected to replace the F-22, supported by autonomous drones.Also Read: Trump says India has offered US a trade deal with ‘basically no tariffs’
According to Reuters, aerospace analyst Nick Cunningham said the proposed F-55 could be a reference to the F/A-XX programme, which aims to replace the US Navy’s F/A-18 Super Hornets in the 2030s.
He noted that the two-engine reference suggests it is distinct from the single-engine F-35, which is currently undergoing a delayed software upgrade.
Reuters also reported that internal disagreements remain between the Navy, Congress, and the administration over the future direction of the programme. Any substantial upgrade to the now out-of-production F-22 would come at a significant cost, he added.
(With Rueters Input)
