As China’s cunning ship expands and the US doubles down on next-generation programs, US President Donald Trump’s wonder offer for a twin-engine “F-55” fighter has sparked controversy over US airpower interests.
At a press conference in Qatar this month, several media outlets reported that Trump had suggested a new twin-engine version of the F-35 stealth fighter, known as the “F-55 .” Trump criticized the F-35’s single-engine construction, citing safety issues, while referring to it as a” large upgrade.”
He said,” If an engine goes out, it’s nice to have two,” while seated next to GE Aerospace Chief Executive Officer ( CEO ) Larry Culp. Trump’s statements, which are unsupported by official US Department of Defense ( DOD ) documents, sparked misunderstanding because no such aircraft are in US Air Force plans.
Price, weight, and complexity would substantially increase for the F-55 aircraft, which would necessitate a total redesign of the F-35 airframe. Trump also made mention of China’s” super upgrade” for the F-22, which he called” the most beautiful fighter jet in the world,” and made an allegation that the J-20 had been built in its place.
Defense analysts noted similarities between Trump’s F-55 proposal and Lockheed CEO Jim Taiclet’s recent comments on a high-performance F-35 variant that offered 80 % of the Next Generation Air Domination ( NGAD ) – designated the F-47 – at half the cost.
Whether the F-55, which echoes Trump’s 2018 research to the mythical “F-52” fighter, represents a major policy direction or just another off-the-cuff incident, as reported by observers in 2018.
With the US developing its F-47 system and China expanding its fifth-generation cunning aircraft fleet, Trump’s remarks regarding the F-55 have sparked concerns about its practicality and significance.
Although debatable, his ideas highlight major difficulties in US airpower preparing, where competing priorities like resilience, readiness, and ally integration clash with China’s rapid modernization of its fighter capabilities.
At a tactical level, having two engines ensures redundancy in the event of engine failure, allowing a fighter to return to one engine as needed while frequently providing more thrust. Current single-engine jets exhibit a high level of stability, which makes an upgrade that might not be necessary.
The F-35 aircraft has no room for a minute engine, according to J J. Gertler, who wrote an article for Breaking Defense. A twin-engine F-35 could keep the cockpit and combat system, but the plane must be built around the engine, almost creating a new design.
Stacie Pettyjohn mentions in the same article that modifying the F-35 to provide a second engine may deteriorate the F-35’s expertly constructed stealth shaping. According to Pettyjohn, Trump’s statements are impossible, but they are a signal that the US will continue to buy and upgrade the F-35.
A twin-engine F-35 may handle the subtype comparatively little range and little weapons cargo, with some compromises in stealth capability.
In a report for the Royal United Services Institute ( RUSI) in October 2020, Justin Bronk mentions the dual-engine Chinese J-20 as an example of how long-range interceptors and strike aircraft can exchange agility and stealth for greater range and payload.
Unfortunately, China may already be supplying its twin-engine version of the F-35. In a November 2024 meeting for Air & Space Forces Magazine, US Air Force Chief of Staff General David Allvin suggested that China might have used the F-35 to make its J-35 fighter jet, citing the need to safeguard secret knowledge.
However, China’s restrictions in producing jet engines may have necessitated a twin-engine pattern for the J-35 because of the use of weaker machines.
The US Air Force’s pilot shortfall and protracted education pipelines may be worsened by the introduction of a new warrior type at the administrative level. Heather Penney mentions that there has been a scarcity of 2, 000 planes for 20 years in the US Air Force’s record for the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies, and that it takes five years for fresh aircraft to be deemed “experienced” in their operational plane.
In comparison, Derek Solen mentions in a statement for the China Aerospace Studies Institute ( CASI) in November 2024 that China is streamlining its education network, with fresh coach plane and academy shortening the time to completion, replacing four years of development with an accelerated system.
Given the proposed type’s commonality with the F-35, a new F-55 might require little in the way of practical changes to US pilot training, but new tactics or multi-engine checks would add complexity.
The US Air Force’s combat aircraft readiness is still a perplexing issue, which may not be beneficial for the development of a second, more advanced fighter type.
The average mission-capable rate for all fleets was 67.15 % in fiscal 2024, down from 69.92 % in fiscal 2023 and 71.24 % in fiscal 2022, according to data released to Air &, Space Forces Magazine in February 2025.
The F-15C and D models received 52.9 % and 63.7 %, the eight-strong F-15EX fleet received 83.13 %, the F-22 received 40.99 %, and the F-35A received 51.5 %, which are not good indicators for introducing a new fighter type.
As crews and spare parts logistics adjust, introducing the F-55 fighter may reduce readiness. China’s lackluster reporting on these statistics suggests that more pilots will be fleet-ready sooner thanks to its accelerated training.
An F-55 would likely resemble many of the capabilities planned for the F-47 program, possibly rendering the former aircraft type obsolete.
In a March 2025 article for Air &, Space Forces Magazine, Allvin mentioned that the type will have “next-generation stealth, sensor fusion, and long-range strike capabilities to counter the most sophisticated adversaries in contested environments.”
The F-47 will also have” significantly longer range” than the F-22, according to Air & Space Forces Magazine, and US Air Force leaders have been discussing the possibility of two NGAD variants, one with longer range for the Pacific theater and one with shorter range for the European theater.
Cost might be a significant issue with the F-55, given that the US Air Force already struggles with programs like the Sentinel intercontinental ballistic missile ( ICBM ) and B-21 stealth bomber.
Air & Space Forces Magazine uses the F-22 as a benchmark for the cost of the F-47, while US Air Force officials discuss having a fleet of 220-250 F-47s with comparable costs to the F-22.
Whether the F-55 is a bold idea or Trump snob, it highlights the growing pressure on the US air force to advance more quickly than its rivals, including China, without giving in to its ambitions.