Watch out, Iran! Why Britain’s laser-wielding Tempest fighter will TERRIFY enemies

The Tempest programme is much more than just an aircraft, it is a Future Combat Air System

John Sneller

The Tempest will be deployed by the mid-2030s as a replacement for the Typhoon, once known as the Eurofighter. The project, which is being spearheaded by companies including BAE Systems and Rolls Royce, as well as Italy’s Leonardo and Sweden’s Saab, will put developers in direct competition with the Future Combat Air System being undertaken by a partnership between France, Germany and Spain. John Sneller, head of aviation at Jane’s by IHS Markit, told Express.co.uk: “The Tempest programme is much more than just an aircraft, it is a Future Combat Air System, covering manned and unmanned air vehicles working together.”

The concept, which was originally revealed at the Farnborough Air Show last year, aims to bring together cutting edge technologies including a flexible weapon carriage, an adaptable airframe, long-range sensing, advanced materials, hypersonic weapons, laser directed-energy weapons, cyber protection and a ‘fused’ cockpit.

He added: “This will allow pilots to task unmanned vehicles (UAVs) to attack specific targets without endangering the crew.

“UAVs are very good at loitering around for long periods, doing boring but vital reconnaissance tasks and sending data back to base units.

“Saab from Sweden has recently joined the Tempest Club, bringing design and integration skills from their Gripen fighter stable.

Tempest

A BAE graphic gives in indication of the what the Tempest’s capabilities will be (Image: BAE Systems)

“The plan is to introduce this ‘sixth generation’ combat aircraft into service in the mid-2030s, in time to replace the Eurofighter Typhoon fleet, which presently provides a fully manned capability for a number of air forces.”

Andrew Kennedy, strategic campaigns director at BAE Systems, told Express.co.uk: “The excitement lies at being at the forefront of building a next generation fighter jet for the first time since the Typhoon in the 1980s.

“It’s about flexibility – one of the criticisms of the previous generation of fighter planes was that they were not flexible enough.”

As such, one of the challenges of the project would be to establish what capabilities would be needed for the Tempest, with the aim for it to be deployed by 2035-2040.

Tempest

The Tempest will be “more than just an aircraft”, said John Sneller (Image: BAE Systems)

Mr Kennedy said: “If somebody said what they thought would be needed for the Tempest in 2035, the chances are they would probably be wrong.”

Clearly, however, it will be a very different piece of machinery – and may not even need anyone in the cockpit.

Mr Kennedy said: “There is an option for it to be able to fly autonomously, but I think most people would like the option of having a pilot in the aircraft.

“It’s also about establishing what role the pilot needs to play. It may be that they need to be more of a mission commander.

“As such we need to establish what skills they will need – quick reactions, like a traditional pilot would have, or other abilities.”

One of the planned features of the Tempest will be the “wingmen” similar which will accompany it into battle, and which would be able to peel off and carry out mini-missions of their own, Mr Kennedy said.

He added: “One of the reason modern fighter jets are so expensive is that they have to be able to store vast amounts of computer power centrally.”

The use of such drones would reduce this need, Mr Kennedy said, and should reduce overall costs as well.

Typhoon

The Tempest will replace the Typhoon, also known as the Eurofighter (Image: GETTY)

In addition, it would serve as a way of limiting the risk, he added.

He explained: “If one of these ‘wingmen’ gets lost behind enemy lines it would be bad, but not as bad as if the whole aircraft is lost.”

A spokesman for Rolls Royce added: “Rolls-Royce forms part of Team Tempest and is working collaboratively with the UK Government, the RAF and our industry partners, BAE Systems, Leonardo and MBDA, to take a leading role in the next generation of combat air power.

“Our role in the programme involves the development of cutting-edge technologies to meet global power needs. Our advanced power and propulsion systems means we will play a major part in the next-generation fighter aircraft strategy to ensure Team Tempest leads the world in the combat air sector.

“While the gas turbine remains at the forefront of Rolls-Royce’s contribution, our focus is on developing new capabilities as part of a wider power and propulsion system.

“Our increased focus on integrated power and thermal management will result in a more intelligent and more electric product providing more capability to the combat system.”

The Team Tempest programme already employs over 1,000 people across UK industry and the MOD is planning to increase that number to over 2,500 by 2021.

Defence Minister Mark Lancaster last week announced a new recruitment drive for the project, with the number of people working on it set to more than double over the next two years.

He said: “Team Tempest offers thousands of young recruits an exciting opportunity to work on a crucial programme securing our dynamic combat air power in the decades to come.

“This recruitment drive demonstrates our enduring commitment to securing and advancing the careers of some of the brightest minds in the UK.”

Tempest Iran

The Tempest should be deployed by the mid-2030s (Image: Daily Express)

source: express.co.uk