F-47 fighter jet project at risk as U.S. faces rare earth metal crisis

Military expert Oleksandr Kovalenko shared this opinion on his Telegram channel.

The F-47 sixth-generation fighter jet project may be canceled due to a reduction in Chinese rare earth metal supplies to the U.S. These metals are essential for American high-tech production, but Donald Trump failed to diversify their supply and instead initiated an economic war against China.

“But the F-47 is just the tip of the iceberg. Without the supply of rare earth metals, the entire U.S. high-tech industry could plunge into a deep crisis,” Kovalenko noted.

China produces almost 90% of the world's rare earths, a group of 17 elements used in the defense, electric vehicle, energy and electronics industries.

The expert believes Ukraine could have been the U.S. savior with a deal for rare earth metals, allowing supply diversification from China. However, the Trump administration became greedy, constantly changing the terms and tightening conditions for Ukraine without offering anything in return.

As a result, the deal with Ukraine has still not been signed, and under the conditions set by the White House, it is unlikely to be signed. Meanwhile, the first signs of a crisis in the high-tech industry are already spreading across the states.

“During the well-known conversation, Donald Trump asked Volodymyr Zelenskyy, ‘What are your cards?’... And what about your cards, Mr. Trump? You never played our card, the rare earth metals, while China's sixes are still winning,” Kovalenko concluded.