F‑47 fighter jet faces skepticism over high cost, trump remarks
The former United States Air Force Secretary, Frank Kendall, believes that allies may not be interested in the F-47 fighter jet. According to him, potential buyers might be deterred not by the jet’s capabilities but by its price and Donald Trump's controversial statements.
The American president decided to personally reveal the name F-47. The aircraft is classified as a 6th generation fighter and is being promoted as a breakthrough, similar to what the F-22 Raptor was at the time of its debut.
The F-47 will be very expensive
Frank Kendall points out issues that might cause the F-47 to not gain appreciation in other countries. Although its exact price has not been determined yet, preliminary estimates indicated it could reach as high as $300 million (about 431 million CAD). Ultimately, it will likely be lower but still significantly higher than the price of the F-35, which, as noted by Lukasz Michalik, a journalist from WP, currently costs about $87 million (approximately 125 million CAD) per unit.
"I would be very surprised if our, any of our partners, were prepared to pay that unit cost for a new aircraft," said Frank Kendall.
The export version of F-47 is expected to be inferior
Another issue, already visible, stems from comments made by Donald Trump, who stated that the export version of the F-47 would have reduced capabilities (estimated at "about 10% less").
Additionally, the American president has recently intensified his rhetoric towards many countries, including those considered long-time allies of the United States. As a result, doubts have started to arise about purchasing the F-35, notably in Canada and Portugal.
“Another factor right now, of course, is that the attitude we've taken towards our allies is driving a lot of them to rethink their degree of cooperation and commitment and reliance on US sources for equipment,” added Frank Kendall.
The F-47 will be built by Boeing. The fighter is expected to provide better stealth features (low observability) and a greater range than 5th generation aircraft. It is also designed to work excellently with unmanned aerial vehicles and reach speeds over Mach 2 (about 2,450 km/h or 1,522 mph).
