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The Trump Card: How to Force Down Costs of Fighter Jets

Russia’s Mig29, a clone of Boeing’s s F22. President Putin is is offering to sell the Russian plane to the US at a deep discount AND to build the American version in fomrer Bpeong plats in Renton, Washington.

President elect Trump says  he is making progress in bargaining for a cut rate replacement for US fighter jets ,  Vladimir Putin is giving Mr. Trump a Trump Card,

The discussion began when Mr. Trump demanded a nicer and cheaper version of the new Air Force One from Boeing,  Boeing’s  Chief Executive Officer, Dennis Muilenburg , said he and The Donald “made some great progress” in face-to-face talks.  “We discussed Air Force One, we discussed fighter aircraft,” Muilenburg told reporters after the meeting Tuesday at Trump Tower in New York. “We made some great progress on simplifying requirements for Air Force One, streamlining the process, streamlining certification.”

The fighter jets rapidly became the tump card.  Mr. Trump suggested that Boeing’s F-18 Super Hornetshould be upgraded to compete with Lockheed Martin’s very over priced F-35 as the Pentagon’s advanced jet fighter.   Boeing was happy “I think Mr. Trump is doing a great job of engaging with business,” Muilenburg said  “We’re on the same page here.”

Then the Navy droppeda bomb.   Chief of Naval Operations, Adm. John Richardson, was less happy.  He explained “If you just think about the aircraft in terms of capability … [the F-35] is on a completely different level from the Super Hornet,” Richardson said at a DBrief Live event. While he acknowledged there are updates and improvements that can be made to the Super Hornet to make it closer to a four-and-a-half generation plane, the F-35 is crucial to the Navy’s missions.

Now Russia is stepping in, offering to build Sukhoi’s Mig29 in former Boeing plants in Washington State. 


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