Happy Friday! President Donald Trump indicated on Thursday that the U.S. military is considering purchasing a new fighter jet which he calls the “F-55,” but many details about the new aircraft remain unclear.
“One of the things for the people that are interested in the military that I’ve asked to look into — 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 — and that’s going to be a substantial upgrade, but it’s going to be also with two engines, because an F-35 has a single engine,” Trump said in Doha, Qatar. “I don’t like single engines.”
Trump did not elaborate on the F-55’s capabilities, nor did he specify exactly where the aircraft is in the procurement process.
“We’re going to do an F-55, and — I think — if we get the right price,” Trump said. “We have to get the right price.”
It remains to be seen exactly how the F-55 would be different from other advanced aircraft, such as the Air Force’s 6th Generation F-47 Next Generation Air Dominance fighter being built by Boeing.
Trump also announced plans to upgrade the F-22 Raptor — although the F-22’s production line closed in 2011.
As always, there’s much more. Here’s your weekly rundown:
- XM7 magazine capacity debate. An Army captain’s searing criticism of the Next Generation Squad Weapon rifle, the XM7, has reignited a never-ending debate about firepower. The XM7 has a 20-round magazine but chambers a larger 6.8mm round than its predecessor, the M4A1. Task & Purpose reporter Patty Nieberg looks into what is more important in battle, more ammunition or heavy caliber rounds, and how it’s not always that simple.
- More than 120 generals and admirals could be cut. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s plan to cull the number of senior uniformed leaders — which he has dubbed “less generals, more GIs” — could result in more than 120 active-duty and National Guard general and flag officer positions being eliminated, according to the Associated Press. The Marine Corps would be hit particularly hard by the cuts. At this point, it’s still unclear exactly how this will play out in practice, whether commands occupied by general officers will be closed, and if so, what will happen to those senior leaders once they’re out of a job.
- Moving money from the barracks to the border. The Defense Department is considering shifting more than $1 billion from “base repairs, troop relocation costs and service member pay and benefits” to fund operations along the southern border, Politico Pro is reporting. The draft plan is not final.
- Army to eliminate two Security Force Assistance Brigades. The Army plans to cut two of its Security Force Assistance Brigades, which were established to help train partner and ally conventional forces. Starting in 2017, the Army created SFAB units to advise Iraqi, Peshmerga, and Afghan forces. The following year, the service announced that SFAB soldiers would wear brown berets following a controversy about whether their headgear would look too much like the green berets worn by Special Forces.
- Chinese fighters prove their worth. Pakistan has claimed that its Chinese-made J-10C fighters recently shot down five Indian jets, including Rafales, which are made by France. India has not confirmed the kills, but China watchers have taken notice. Retired Navy Capt. Thomas Shugart, of the Center for a New American Security think tank, posted on X that although Pakistan’s claims do not prove that Chinese weapons are superior to their Western counterparts, they should “help dispel the idea ‘all China builds is junk, so don’t worry that they’re building a shit-ton of pretty scary-looking stuff.’”
Many thanks for reading this week! Hope you have a wonderful weekend, and remember: Hugs, not drugs — just in case there’s a urinalysis test scheduled for next week.
Jeff Schogol
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