Posted on 05/16/2025 10:48:36 AM PDT by Fish Speaker
WASHINGTON — In keeping with his penchant for shocking the defense industry, President Donald Trump today seemingly revealed plans to develop a twin-engine version of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter known as the F-55, as well as an upgraded “F-22 Super.”
But former Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall said he was “mystified by Trump’s comments,” and analysts said that what the president described would be a highly challenging engineering endeavor on par with creating a clean-sheet aircraft. They also questioned the wisdom of spending scarce budget dollars on a twin-engine advanced F-35 when the newly announced F-47 is already planned to fill that niche.
“A two engine version of F-35 would be virtually a complete redesign,” Kendall told Breaking Defense. “It’s an option that was never presented and that we never considered, to my knowledge.”
Trump’s comments, made during a business roundtable in Doha this morning, indicated that there is an effort underway to add a second engine to the F-35, creating a jet with a “substantial upgrade” that would be purchased in addition to a future version of the F-35 with more modest enhancements.
“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,” he said at the event.
“Then we’re going to do the F-22. 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 F-22 fighter jet,” he added.
(Excerpt) Read more at breakingdefense.com ...
“obsolete before it was even designed in the age of drones.”
I agree that drones must be upheaving the planning of new weapons. A drone can have a pilot, can’t it? It’s just that the pilot is sitting in a room on the ground, perhaps halfway around the world.
As mush as I love The Donald, he should not be discussing military hardware. He always sounds like a fool.
If media “experts” say it’s bad, it must be a good idea.
I was skeptical at first, but now convinced it’s a great idea
I want a Mach 6 unarmed , fighter-killing, suicide drone at less than 1M per unit. Because the Russians and Chinese are already working on them.
“If they would just build the F-22 to the plans we had for it in the late ‘80’s with today’s technology, you’d have a plane that no one could touch for years to come, if ever ...”
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The F-22 is a 4th Generation fighter. The F-35 is a 5th Generation fighter, and the Chinese also have a 5th Generation fighter. The F-22 is a wonderful airplane, but the combat envelope has changed for fighter aircraft.
That’s why the “more conservative” party as we call it is the Liberal Party in Australia.
I thought the blueprints and tooling for the F22 was ordered destroyed under Obama so it could never be revived, no? Part if the deal with ordering the newer one to demonstrate committment.
He just keeps kicking ant hills to keep the communist insects scurrying around in panic...
As Ali once said: “Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee”...
TDS is reaching galactic proportions...
The only way to build an updated F-22 would be to change the program from USAF as the sole customer — no exports allowed — to an international program like that of the F-35. Lockheed-Martin was the prime contractor for both jets. They read the writing on the wall — the F-22 would never be built in large enough numbers to reach economies-of-scale like that of it’s predecessor (the F-15C). Therefore Lockheed-Martin rolled over and put all their eggs into the F-35 basket. From the outset, the F-35 was always going to be built in large numbers because it was multi-service AND it had international partners (it would be a standard NATO aircraft).
Take the stupid lift fan out and you have plenty of room for a full engine AND could probably double the fuel tanks.
The technical arguments against a twin-engine F-35 are well taken. But to defend Donald Trump just a little bit... consider the crap that FDR foisted onto the US Navy back in the 30’s & 40’s. The Independence-class light carriers were a cludge. But they ended up plugging a gap because of early war losses.
Drones are really hard to stop when you launch 500 of them in a 40 mile wide front. 95% of them may get shot down, and the remaining 25 successfully zero in on the target for a perfect strike. Crazy.
Not so,F-22 is a fifth generation fighter. F-16 and F-18 are examples of fourth generation fighters.
What’s wrong with JCIDS? /s
“The establishment is heavily invested in keeping and expanding the status quo.
That’s one problem I have with “conservatism” which by definition is about protecting the status quo.
In America, the gov’t status quo needs to be blown up.”
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There’s nothing conservative about your position. You’re advocating revolution, and there are no bloodless revolutions. Good luck with that.
Chinese machinery is assembled with threaded cheese.
Yeah, I think a laser can hit it.
Partisan Media Shills: "Experts" consist of former Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall. Keyword:
I’m advocating the extension and expansion of MAGA to reinstate the Constitution as the Supreme Law of the land over the feds, the dismantling of the 80%+, $3+ trillion unconstitutional portion of the federal gov’t, and the restoration of America’s Free Constitutional Republic.
I am also advocating a return to faith in God and away from faith in man and his gov’t. Winning and maintaining liberty requires faith in God. Faith and freedom kinda go together.
Whatever it takes bloodless or bloody. Freedom is hardly won and easily lost.
NOT the “conservative” approach of maintaining the status quo - RINO Land.
You seem oblivious that we are in the midst of a culture war for the soul and future of America, the Left having been allowed to take America to the brink of totalitarian governance and disappearance.
Given that, you seem to be either MIA, a POW, or a traitor to the Left. Good luck with that.
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