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Trump says Boeing will build the new generation of fighter jets, the F-47 (www.npr.org)

submitted 5 months ago by Powderhorn@beehaw.org to c/usnews@beehaw.org

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Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said the new warplanes would send a strong message about America's commitment to remaining a global leader in military aviation.

The new fighter jet, he said, "sends a very clear, direct message to our allies that we're not going anywhere."

What allies? Russia and Hungary?

But more seriously, the last thing Boeing needs is another project to fuck up. Maybe once they're able to reliably design and build a commercial airliner, this would make some modicum of sense. Thing is, drones are the future of war (inasmuch as we should even want that), not fighter jets.

If only someone had warned us about the military-industrial complex at some point. This is the most clear-cut example in recent memory, with a sprinkling of presidential narcissism on top.

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[–] sonori@beehaw.org 2 points 5 months ago (1 children)

It’s worth noting that this project for a F22 replacement has been known to be in development for quite a while now, so this is less a Trump thing than someone at the Pentagon pulling him aside and changing the name to make it less likely he will kill it when Putin or Xi Jinping remember they can just ask him to and he will.

Here is an excellent as always Perun summery on the US, EU, etc projects as of a month ago, but basically it doesn’t matter how good the F22 is over the pasific if China just shoots down all your tankers and carriers from well out of range, so it’s high time for a pasific range capable fighter.

Shame it’s going to Boeing though.

[–] Powderhorn@beehaw.org 3 points 5 months ago

Thank you for the context. Given the speed of military, this actually makes a lot of sense. And given Trump's ego, of course he had to make it sound like his idea.