Trump branded a deal-maker not a seller amid claim of kill switch on new F-47 jets

The F-47, the US Air Force's next-generation fighter jet, is no doubt going to be at the pinnacle of technology, but some allies may hold off on ordering it after President Trump claimed the US would only sell a cut-down version.

That is the opinion of Air Marshal (Retired) Greg Bagwell, President of the Air and Space Power Association, who spoke to BFBS Forces News about the programme.

President Trump claimed US allies are "calling constantly" to order the aircraft, but said he would be selling "certain allies… perhaps toned-down versions".

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"We like to tone them down about 10%, which probably makes sense because, someday, maybe they're not our allies, right," he said.

As a result of admitting the aircraft may have a slow kill switch applied for some allies, Air Mshl Bagwell said allies may not be full of confidence in the F-47.

"They've sent that message loud and clear over the last six weeks," he said.

"He [President Trump] may be a deal-maker, but he's definitely not a seller."

Mr Trump said during a press conference the F-47 would be the "most advanced, most capable, most lethal aircraft ever built".

"An experimental version of the plane has secretly been flying for almost five years, and we're confident that it massively overpowers the capability of any other nation," he said.

But President Trump's comments should be taken with a pinch of salt, said Air Mshl Bagwell.

However, while the President's comments should not be taken as gospel, the US is usually "head of the pack" when developing new aircraft, he went on.

"So there is a degree of truth and maybe this is the one time when actually what he said is going to be true."

Air Mshl Bagwell spoke to BFBS Forces News about where the programme currently is, how it has played out politically and offered up an opinion on some of Mr Trump's claims about the production timeline.

Mr Trump claimed a "new fleet of these magnificent planes will be built and in the air during [his] administration".

"They've already built much of what has to be built in terms of production," he said.

But Air Mshl Bagwell pointed out: "These programmes don't happen overnight."

He also said a lot of people may not realise the programme has been around for a while, with a decision being made on whether the aircraft should be manned or unmanned placing it briefly on hold.

"This will be a crewed aircraft, but with drones operating in tandem with it," he said.

"Last year, surprisingly, last summer, the USAF announced that they were pausing the programme.

"And that caused a lot of consternation in the press because America seemed to be ahead of the pack and suddenly said 'Actually, we're not sure if we want this'.

"The real reason was they were genuinely not sure whether to go down the manned or the unmanned route.

"And there is no doubt that this new F-47, cunningly named of course after the 47th president, that shouldn't be lost on us either."