The wrath of the stealthy fighter jets has always been a source of amazement to aviation enthusiasts. This time, the exciting news of the arrival of a sixth-generation supersonic stealth fighter by the UK Ministry of Defence has become the talk of the town in the aviation industry. According to the UK Ministry of Defence, 2027 will be the year when the “British-led Future Air Combat System” known as “Tempest” will make it to the skies as a demonstrator fighter. The project is held under the supervision of the MoD, BAE Systems, Leonardo UK, Rolls-Royce, and MBDA UK. However, this Tempest fighter jet will collaborate with the Royal Air Force (RAF) in 2035 for operational purposes.
The team behind the project is entitled to use their intelligence capabilities in building this sixth-generation supersonic fighter jet, which would incorporate a twin engine along with the delta wings. They would deploy state-of-the-art technologies along with the integration of artificial intelligence and machine learning, which would aid in the combat roles subjected to this fighter jet. The autonomous systems used will help this aircraft further achieve efficiency in command-and-control operations while flying and will further enhance its situational awareness parameters as well.
As it will be built on modern technological systems, the hypersonic missiles, laser systems, and the “drone swarm control systems” would easily be engaged from this aircraft due to the provision of the elongated electrical power which will be integrated into Tempest. As per the UK Defense Secretary Ben Wallace, “I am delighted that the UK, alongside Italy and Japan, are working on similar combat air journeys together. Our work with Japan and Italy on cutting-edge technology like this shows the benefit of our alliances across the world. The design and development of the demonstrator aircraft represent an important milestone, showcasing the success and talent of our engineers, programmers, and software developers. This program will go on to attract opportunities for many more great minds and talent from across the UK.”
Talking about the technicalities which will be involved in this project, the site area for its manufacturing is at Preston in Lancashire, UK, and the supervisor of the project will gather input data from hundreds of companies, which would then be used for further testing phases. Specifically, synthetic modeling and model-based engineering systems will be deployed in the manufacturing process that will help in the completion of the fighter jet in a minimal time frame. Thus, Tempest will prove a way forward for the UK’s domestic as well as international technical and defense capabilities.