In 2021, the United States Air Force Chief of Staff announced the launch of a thorough study into the tactical aviation requirements of future service aircraft.The idea is that the service’s top officer wants to develop an affordable, lightweight fighter to either partially or totally replace hundreds of Cold War-era F-16s, complementing the Air Force’s small fleet of secret and costly stealth fighters.A month later, a group of aviation experts came up with a fictitious yet viable option: the F-36 Kingsnake lightweight fighter.Using the best technologies from other aircraft, as well as 3D printing, this novelty model could be the answer to the Air Force’s budgeting problem. That is, if it even makes it to production…