President Trump has proposed a new version of the F-35 stealth fighter, the F-55, which would feature a twin-engine design. Experts caution that modifying the existing single-engine F-35 would necessitate a complete redesign of the aircraft, taking decades to develop and incur significant costs. Retired US Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Eric Gunzinger explained that the airframe and software would both need to be re-evaluated to accommodate the twin engines. Trump emphasized the proposed F-55 would represent a substantial upgrade over the current F-35 if budget allows.
To put two engines in it would be a complete redesign of not only the hardware and the airframe, but also the software.
The F-35, we're doing an upgrade - a simple upgrade - but we're also doing an F-55.
That could take decades and require huge expenditures from an administration that's set on slashing government spending.
We're going to do an F-55 if the price is right, and that will be two engines and a super upgrade on the F-35.
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