A Lot Of (Hot) Air?
The Mooch Report—May 20, 2025
Trump’s Aviation Plan…
In what seemed like off-the-cuff remarks during a press event in Doha, Qatar, President Donald Trump outlined a fairly detailed strategy to upgrade America’s air power.
Flanked by two US defense industry chiefs, Trump talked about plans for what he called an “F-55” and an F-22 “Super.” According to Trump, the F-55 would be a twin-engined F-35 and the F-22 Super would be an enhanced F-22 Raptor along the same lines as the F-15EX.
All this would be in addition to the Next-Generation Air Dominance fighter, dubbed the “F-47,” to be produced by Boeing.
Mooch tries to fill in some of the blanks in his conversation with Steve Trimble of Aviation Week, but there are still lots of questions left unanswered. Team Mooch will continue to dig into this plan as it evolves.
And hey, don’t forget to order Mooch’s new installment in the “Punk” series: “Punk’s Force” (available as of May 20, 2025).
Stay tuned for more updates. And as always, keep us posted on your thoughts and feedback.
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Team Mooch Out
Book Launch…
“Punk's Force is a tour de force of international intrigue and edge-of-your-seat flying action. It also accurately captures the high-stakes challenges facing the U.S. Navy today. I couldn’t put it down.”—Adm. Mike Mullen, USN (Ret.), 17th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
Around The Fleet
The F-35’s future: The world’s most advanced stealth fighter and what comes next
Navy leaders look to expand munitions options as supplies run low
Air Force reveals range and inventory goals for F-47, CCAs
Video Roundup
During a press conference in Doha, Qatar, on May 15, President Trump mentioned a plan to build an F-55, a new U.S. Air Force fighter. Aviation Week reporter Steve Trimble rejoins Mooch to discuss the details of this surprise announcement by the Commander-in-chief.
A paper published last month in China’s top aviation journal reveals that the J-36 design team is in the early stages of making a naval variant suitable for use with the PLA Navy’s growing fleet of aircraft carriers. And like with other features like EMALS, the Chinese are copying the American military’s best practices and developing them at a rate far faster than that of the Pentagon’s procurement system.
ENCORE: Amateur videos taken by bystanders on the ground capture a prototype aircraft, what the PLAAF have reportedly designated the J-36, flying in the vicinity of the Chengdu Aircraft Corporation facility with a J-20 stealth fighter acting as the chase plane. Have the Chinese taken a massive lead in the sixth generation aircraft race?
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