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President Donald Trump said he would offer US allies a less-capable export version of a coming sixth-gen fighter, but a former top Air Force official has said he doubts they'll want it. The former secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall said in a podcast interview that he doubted US allies would be willing to buy the coming F-47 stealth fighter because of the high expected cost and concerns over the US's commitments to its longtime alliances. Speaking on Defense & Aerospace Report's "Air Power" podcast late last week, Kendall, who left office in January, said the jet's price, which he said could be up to $180 million each, roughly twice as much as the F-35, could put off US allies. "I would be very surprised if our, any of our partners, were prepared to pay that unit cost for a new aircraft," he said. President Donald Trump announced this month that Boeing had been selected to build the new F-47, winning the $20 billion contract over its rival Lockheed Martin. Boeing's share price rose after the announcement, adding $4 billion in market value. The F-47 Next Generation Air Dominance fighter is expected to be ready for combat by the end of the decade. The F-47 is being designed to fly alongside autonomous drones, known as Collaborative Combat Aircraft. But Kendall said there were questions about how these drones would work with future crewed fighters.
The aim is to develop a new sixth-gen fighter aircraft with unmatched stealth and air-to-air combat capabilities, including the ability to fly with uncrewed loyal wingmen drones, to give the US Air Force a technological edge to defeat new threats. Kendall said the Trump administration's attitude toward longtime allies such as Canada and dozens of countries in Europe might lead some to question the wisdom of investing further in really expensive US weapon systems including the coming F-47. "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," he said. Kendall also highlighted Trump's claim that the export version of the F-47 sold to US allies could have downgraded capabilities, the reasoning being that allies today might not be allies in the future. "We basically have very close allies traditionally, and we share some of the best of our capabilities with them because we have a lot of trust in them," Kendall said. "This administration doesn't seem to be taking that point of view."
www.businessinsider.com
