The first crewed stealth fighter jet built in the UK for 40 years is nearing completion as the cutting-edge air combat technology seeks to become reality. Team Tempest, a UK-led partnership working on new technologies for the next generation of air combat, has announced it has hit three significant development milestones.
That includes the assembly of around half of the main structure of the UK Combat Air Demonstrator, the completion of modifications to the Excalibur Flight Test Aircraft ahead of a new phase of flight trials, and critical advances in propulsion technology through the Orpheus engine demonstrator.
Combat Air Demonstrator Progress
Team Tempest, which brings together the Ministry of Defence (MoD), BAE Systems, Leonardo UK, MBDA and Rolls-Royce, said the developments marked continued progress towards the UK’s Future Combat Air System (FCAS) and its contribution to the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP). The Combat Air Demonstrator will be the first crewed combat aircraft to be built in the UK for 40 years. More than 11,500 components have been designed so far, accounting for around 90% of the aircraft’s total weight, with many produced through the UK supply chain. The programme has also completed its first robotically assembled component at BAE Systems’ Factory of the Future. The structure is due to undergo testing later this year alongside one of the aircraft’s wings.
Excalibur Flight Test Aircraft and Propulsion Advances
Meanwhile, the Excalibur Flight Test Aircraft, described as the UK’s flying laboratory, has completed a major modification programme and is preparing for the next stage of flight trials. The aircraft will be used to test advanced integrated sensing and communications technologies intended for the next generation of combat aircraft. Team Tempest said the advances would help reduce technical risk across the wider GCAP programme while supporting the Royal Air Force’s future operational requirements in an increasingly contested security environment.
Richard Berthon, director of Future Combat Air at the UK Ministry of Defence, said: ‘These achievements demonstrate the pace and scale of progress being delivered through the Team Tempest enterprise. From advanced digital manufacturing and flight testing to next-generation propulsion technologies, we are maturing the critical capabilities needed to deliver a world-leading Future Combat Air System for the UK.
‘The expertise, skills and technologies being developed today are not only reducing risk for GCAP, they are strengthening our sovereign combat air capability and ensuring the UK remains at the forefront of air power innovation for decades to come.’
Since its launch in 2018, Team Tempest has focused on developing the technologies, engineering expertise and industrial capability required to deliver the UK’s future sovereign combat air capability.
