Trump is pitching a new supercharged twin-engine F-35 with a new name: F-55

The F-35 stealth fighter, a fifth-gen jet Trump wants to majorly upgrade.U.S. Air Force photo by Capt. Kip SumnerPresident Trump on Thursday floated the idea of a supercharged F-35 called the F-55.He said this aircraft would have two engines because he doesn't like single-engine planes.Lockheed Martin's CEO recently suggested upgrading the F-35 to become a "fifth-generation plus" jet.President Donald Trump pitched plans for a new twin-engine version of the F-35 stealth fighter jet on Thursday. He referred to the jet as the "F-55.""The F-35, we're doing an upgrade — a simple upgrade — but we're also doing an F-55. I'm going to call it an F-55," Trump shared during a business roundtable in Qatar, the second stop in his Middle East tour."That's going to be a substantial upgrade," with two engines, Trump explained, "because an F-35 has a single engine; I don't like single engines." He then touted the four engines on a 747 because there's a backup if an engine goes out."We're going to do an F-55, I think, if we get the right price — we have to get the right price," the president said. "And that will be two engines and a super upgrade on the F-35."The F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter is a fifth-generation stealth aircraft made by US defense contractor Lockheed Martin. The jet was developed and manufactured as part of a multinational program. Since the first one rolled off the production line, over 1,100 have been delivered to the US and militaries around the world.The F-35 is widely considered the world's top fighter aircraft.US Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Ryan GomezSome prominent figures inside Trump world have sharply criticized the expensive F-35 program, arguing that it has been a wasteful debacle and unnecessary amid the rise in drone technology, but the president's comments in Qatar on Thursday appear to indicate continued support for the program. The F-35 is considered within the Defense Department to be a cornerstone of US airpower.Last month, Lockheed CEO James Taiclet said that the defense firm would "supercharge" the F-35's capabilities to make it a "fifth-generation plus" aircraft that could bring it nearly on par with a sixth-generation fighter jet."So, the F-35. So we're basically going to take the chassis and turn it into a Ferrari. It's like a NASCAR upgrade, so to speak," Taiclet said during a first-quarter earnings call. He said that Lockheed could outfit the F-35 with capabilities like better sensors, improved stealth technology, better systems, and longer-range weapons.Taiclet's remarks came shortly after Lockheed lost a bid to build the Next Generation Air Dominance fighter, which Trump named the "F-47," to Boeing. The coming NGAD is expected to fight alongside drones and succeed the F-22 Raptor as the US Air Force's top air superiority fighter.On Thursday, Trump also proposed big upgrades to the F-22, saying the US is going to make an "F-22 Super."Read the original article on Business Insider

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