BAe Systems Tempest FCAS

History

In order to keep up with changing air combat needs, the UK has extended their commitment to developing an all-new fighter jet, the 6 aircraft is the embodiment of what the next Royal Air Force (RAF) front line fighter might look like, as the service eventually will Forced to find a successor to its Eurofighter Typhoon fleet over the next two decades. For now, the Tempest remains its central conceptual form.

The aircraft is being developed under the initiative name "Future Combat Air Systems" (FCAS for short).

The current standard for air superiority is still 4th generation fighter jets - proven, affordable and globally available with a wealth of weapons options. High profile types (such as the Russian Sukhoi "Flanker" series) have received various modernizations and upgrades to achieve 4th generation fighter status. Introduced in 2005, the Lockheed F-22 Raptor marked the beginning of a stealth-focused "Fifth Air Force" trend. Other 5th generation fighter programs are just starting to take shape - namely in South Korea, Turkey, Japan and India.

Only a few major powers, such as the United States and Russia, have begun to look into the distant future by proposing the concept of a 6th-generation fighter jet.

For now, the Tempest's design has similar shapes and lines to the previous F-22. The fighter will carry a pair of engines in a typical side-by-side arrangement behind the cockpit. A "new generation" engine, ie.

H. An all-new design and structure that will provide the power and performance needed and improve the survivability of pilots and aircraft in competitive airspace. The delta-wing shape exists, and the fuselage has the usual, barely noticeable features such as a smooth profile, chin edge, and a few protrusions. The vertical tail slanted outwards, and the engine air intakes were sloping rectangles.

An integral, specially-coated canopy sits above the cockpit, which in turn sits above the nose of the aircraft's radar housing. A conventional tricycle landing gear is used for ground travel.

It is believed that fighter jets like the Tempest will have internal weapons bays to house their guns - just like the F-22. The external payload option will likely continue to function like the F-22.

Plans to support a new generation of weapons in the form of hypersonic missiles, direct energy types, swarm guns and even carry/launch drones give warfighters a future advantage in any firefight.

The development of the fighter jet will be done jointly by the private sector and the government. Of course, such an effort would be very expensive, as the U.S. F-35 program has demonstrated, forcing Britain to cooperate on an international level with foreign playersFrance or Germany or both. France and Germany have agreed on their own joint fighter development program hoping to develop a fighter jet that could be used by most European powers and compete directly with the F-22 and F-35 programs. The biggest challenge to the UK effort is working on a plan that will give it key qualities of the Royal Air Force (RAF) that could generate more demand than the French and Germans are seeking.

Notably, the Franco-German program announced a less aggressive service target date of 2040. The U.K. also wants to meet with the Americans to update their ongoing next-generation air superiority and penetrating counter-air programs, as few storm-related discussions are settled. ??

Other potential national partners could include India, Turkey and Saudi Arabia, where small projects driven by the UK aviation industry are either mature or just beginning, giving these countries a taste of the importance of aircraft development and production experience of. combat platform.

A procurement contract is planned for sometime in 2025, while the proposed commissioning date for Tempest is 2035. At this point, the UK Lockheed F-35 Lightning II attack aircraft fleet will have a considerable amount of time to mature (deliveries of the platform are increasing as of this writing, 2018).

The RAF plans to procure some 138 F-35 prototypes - a huge financial commitment in itself - raising doubts about the viability of the UK's commitment to the expensive and complex future sixth-generation fighter jet.

The information provided on this page is the author's estimate.

Specification

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