The US plans to develop a new F-55 fighter and upgrade F-22 to Super Raptor

The United States is considering the possibility of creating a new F-55 combat aircraft, as well as a large-scale upgrade of the F-22 fighter jet to the Super Raptor version. This was stated by President Donald Trump during a speech at the al-Udeid air base in Qatar.

Here's What We Know

According to Trump, the F-55 will be a twin-engine aircraft and will be a "super-modernisation" of the F-35, although this design actually means the creation of a new fighter jet. The initiative may be related to the F/A-XX programme, which involves replacing the F/A-18 in the US Navy with a sixth-generation fighter. The project is expected to be implemented in the 2030s.

However, due to cuts in the defence budget, there has been a long-running struggle to preserve the programme between the Navy and Congress on the one hand and the White House administration on the other. The announcement of the winner of the tender, in which Boeing and Northrop Grumman are competing, was supposed to take place in March, but the process has been delayed. Defence Secretary Pete Hagel even suggested postponing the programme for three years, which threatened to cancel it.

In addition, Trump emphasised the importance of another promising aircraft, the F-47, and announced the modernisation of the F-22. He stressed that "the most beautiful fighter jet in the world is the F-22, but we're going to make the F-22 Super, and it's going to be a very modern version of the F-22". According to him, the modernisation will begin in the near future.

The upgraded F-22 Super Raptor is expected to have new combat systems, radars and sensors, including more advanced infrared sensors. Lockheed Martin, which dropped out of the competition to develop the sixth-generation NGAD fighter, plans to use the technology to improve the F-35 and F-22.

Source: Reuters