Posted on 07/16/2018 7:22:07 AM PDT by sukhoi-30mki
A model of the Tempest jet fighter, unveiled by the defence secretary, Gavin Wiliamson, at the Farnborough airshow. Photograph: Peter Nicholls/Reuters
The defence secretary, Gavin Williamson, has unveiled plans for a new RAF fighter jet, the Tempest, which will eventually replace the Eurofighter Typhoon.
Speaking at the Farnborough airshow, Williamson unveiled a model of the sixth-generation fighter jet the Ministry of Defence (MoD) expects to emerge from its new combat air strategy, designed to maintain the UK’s status as a so-called “tier one” military power after Brexit.
“This is a strategy to keep control of the air, both at home and abroad, to remain a global leader in the sector,” Williamson said.
Brexit: No 10 rules out second referendum 'under any circumstances' - Politics live Read more He said he wanted the Tempest to be flying alongside the existing fleet of Typhoons and the US-made F-35s by 2035.
The government said it would spend £2bn to develop the aircraft between now and 2025, using money set aside in 2015 for future combat air technologies.
The jet will potentially be able to operate unmanned, according to plans released by the MoD, and will have next-generation technology on board designed to cope with modern threats.
This will include “swarming” technology that uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to hit its targets, as well as directed energy weapons (DEW), which used concentrated bursts of laser, microwave or particle beam energy to inflict damage.
Tempest will be built by a consortium composed of the British defence firm BAE Systems, the engine-maker Rolls-Royce, the Italian aerospace company Lombardo and the pan-European missile manufacturer MBDA.
(Excerpt) Read more at theguardian.com ...
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/725600/CombatAirStrategy_Lowres.pdf
Looks.....familiar.....
If it was a Russian Air Craft would it be called the F22ski?
It does.
I assume functionality and aerodynamics lead to a more or less common appearance whether or not any copying is involved.
Kind of like how wind tunnels have made most cars looks pretty much the same, regardless of manufacturer.
Ping.
A re-skinned F-18 ?
Good points.
I fear the Brits may be catching the Chinese Syndrome.
Whereby they start to believe if they make something with all the proper external appearance factors, against the same design factors, that it is just as good as the real thing.
They are more concerned with appearing modern and formidable that BEING modern and formidable.
Sharia compliant I am sure.
Vaperware.
If anything, it's a modern take on the Avro Arrow.
It looks like the offspring of an F-22 and an F-35. Similar notional designs have appeared as what an updated F-22 would look like. Since the announcement for the Tempest was made just after Trump and US Defense Secretary Mattis visited, I have a sneaking suspicion that the US is about to announce a similar project and that the “Tempest” will be the UK variant badge for a US successor to the F-22.
“I have a sneaking suspicion that the US is about to announce a similar project and that the “Tempest” will be the UK variant badge for a US successor to the F-22.”
You might be on to something. I could see Lockheed floating some F-22 updates with a delta wing like that. And the British have been fond of joint ventures for a long time, so they might bite.
I think at this point it is old technology to build piloted fighters. With AI pilotless planes will be far superior in air to air combat.
If it’s the top plane in post #1, looks to be a single engine.
I wonder if the RAF pilots will give this new Tempest a different name, just like USAF pilots did when the Air Force recycled WWII aircraft name of Thunderbolt into Wart Hog?
The F-22 and F-35 both have great merit — and considerable flaws. A new model that combined their best features and permitted modular variation would have considerable appeal. I can see Britain even using potential sales of their version as post-Brexit leverage in discussions with European militaries. As a practical matter, the decline of Europe’s ground forces will more or less compel their nations to rely more heavily on airpower for defense. Weak and obsolescent, the Typhoon does not meet the need, so they must soon go shopping.
FTA: he wanted the Tempest to be flying alongside the existing fleet of Typhoons and the US-made F-35s by 2035.
That is near 20 years from now!
We will have flying cars by then....
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