The UK’s next-generation combat aircraft project has reached a major milestone, as the Ministry of Defence and its industry partners revealed the design of the new Combat Air Flying Demonstrator and confirmed that two-thirds of its structural weight is now in manufacturing.

Led by BAE Systems in partnership with Rolls-Royce, MBDA UK and the Ministry of Defence, the aircraft is the first crewed supersonic combat demonstrator developed in the UK in over 40 years. Its unveiling marks a key step in preparations for a first flight within the next three years.

The aircraft’s main structure, wings and tail fins are now being assembled using cutting-edge digital and robotic manufacturing at BAE Systems sites in Lancashire. The demonstrator is designed to test a wide range of technologies, including stealth-compatible features and next-generation flight controls.

“This significant and challenging project will deliver the UK’s first crewed combat demonstrator aircraft in four decades,” said Tony Godbold, Future Combat Air Systems Delivery Director at BAE Systems. “As well as developing a unique aircraft, we’re building the technical foundations, workforce readiness and digital maturity essential to deliver the next generation of combat air capability.”

The demonstrator is part of the UK’s contribution to the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP), a trilateral partnership with Japan and Italy that aims to deliver a sixth-generation fighter aircraft by the mid-2030s. According to the Ministry of Defence, the demonstrator is essential for de-risking future aircraft development and ensuring Britain remains at the forefront of aerospace innovation.

“I am delighted that today, BAE Systems and the Ministry of Defence can share this important update,” said Richard Berthon, Director Future Combat Air at the MoD. “For the first time, people can see how this cutting-edge demonstrator aircraft will look when it takes to the skies.”

“The Combat Air Flying Demonstrator is providing invaluable lessons on future combat air delivery and equipping our people with the skills they will need to deliver GCAP.”

The project is also intended to significantly reduce the time and cost involved in building future military jets, through digital techniques such as model-based systems engineering, digital twins, 3D printing, cobotics and immersive simulation.

Pilots from BAE Systems, Rolls-Royce and the Royal Air Force have flown over 300 hours in a high-fidelity simulator built for the demonstrator. Engineers are using simulated flight trials to assess performance, test control systems and gather flight data well ahead of the aircraft’s first takeoff.

According to BAE Systems, this approach will help ensure the UK maintains its sovereign ability to design, build and support advanced military aircraft.

Since 2018, more than 1,000 apprentices and graduates have been recruited into the Team Tempest partnership. Over 600 suppliers from across the UK, including 91 small and medium-sized enterprises and 26 academic institutions, are contributing to the project. More than 100 organisations are currently working directly on the flying demonstrator, with a major concentration of activity in the North West of England.

The demonstrator is the UK’s first piloted supersonic combat air demonstrator since the Experimental Aircraft Programme (EAP), which paved the way for the Eurofighter Typhoon and first flew in 1986.

George Allison
George has a degree in Cyber Security from Glasgow Caledonian University and has a keen interest in naval and cyber security matters and has appeared on national radio and television to discuss current events. George is on Twitter at @geoallison

15 COMMENTS

  1. My first impression was that the CGI showed an aircraft surprisingly similar to the F-35! Only on closer examination do significant differences emerge, e.g. no tail planes.

    • Erm no, no tail planes and the wing is different. This doesn’t mean that the Tempest will end up in this design shape. A lot is to prove the manufacturing techniques As said above

  2. In August they had 215 hours of sim time. And I think 50% of the aircraft by weight?

    Looks alright for a demonstrator though. Nothing radical.

    • What do you want it to look like? No tail planes wings are different to F-22 and F-35. Is having all aspect stealth important (no tail surfaces). Who’s to say the F-47 has no tail? Problem is do you get rid of the tail to increase the cost (thrust vectored engines) or do you just make it stealthier but only lose a portion of flight command authority. As for the nose and Chine, you are limited what you can design because of the laws of physics in terms of supersonic flight and the return of radar waves caused by cylindrical shapes. Also if you go for a flatter profile with a chine your reducing the overall volume for engines/fuel/avionics/weapons load mostly all of these are cylindrical shapes. The most important aspect for this aircraft is weapons space, fuel load for range, advanced engines with adaptive fan ability, and sensor fusion with computing capacity. Radar is pretty much covered, unless they put additional radars in the wing roots like the SU-57 (S Band)

      • The big question is how are you going to evade a hypersonic air to air missile at 200 miles plus range. Turning away sharply or through low frequency stealth and trying not to be detected.

        As the USAF is moving to radar tracking satellites and no doubt China will be soon the concept of low frequency stealth is probably no longer relevant. If the radar is beaming down on you from up above a B21 has a massive radar cross section and so will an F47 unless you make it a flying sphere. That’s not to say stealth is not important because it very much is as a way to prevent high frequency radars from obtaining a weapons track. I just do not see the worth in paying a fortune to avoid low frequency radar when satellites will be low frequency radar obsolete.

        However high manoeuvrability will always be import in a fighter.

        This tempest design looks about right to me, a very high degree of all aspect stealth without sacrificing speed, range and manuverability for it. In many ways it looks like a modernised F22 on steroids which is what I suspect the USAF would love to have instead of fannying around with a new super jet from America’s least reliable contractor.

        We can expect Boeings PR machine to get to work the day the F47 is unveiled to tell everyone how Tempest isn’t really a 6th generation jet it’s only 5.5 gen as it doesn’t incorporate

  3. While it is good for the UK image to have a demonstrator flying in 2027 I think we should ask is it worth while making a demonstrator in the modern age.

    We know the plane will fly and the real work will be in system integration and development the final design will be very different. Is this just a way to delay the program and give BAE something to do.

    Japan seems to think so

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