Photo: BAE Systems
About a year ago, give or take, the world learned of a new stealth fighter aircraft being in the works. It is not one being put together in America, like we've gotten used to in recent times, but by an international partnership of nations and companies.
The airplane is for now called Tempest, after the name of the team working on it, and it's the brainchild of the British, Italian, and Japanese defense industries. The biggest names in this sector, including BAE Systems, Rolls-Royce, Leonardo UK, and MBDA, are involved.
Aside from the initial announcement, not many updates were provided on the project since, so all we knew about it was the theoretical plan to have it made and flown for the first time within just five years (that means by the end of the decade). And in the military aviation industry, that's quite the challenge.
This week we got the first true update on the project, one that sheds light on what the involved parties were up to this past year. And the short answer is: a lot.
It would seem the plane is already airborne, at least in the virtual world. Using software put together by BAE Systems in "days rather than weeks," test pilots are already hard at work putting the Tempest through its paces at a facility in Warton, Lancashire. To date, 150 hours of flight time have been recorded, targeting flight control systems during complex flight maneuvers.
At a time of writing the exact specs of the airplane are not known, but engineers are already at it conducting aerodynamic engine testing at the Rolls-Royce facility in Bristol. We're not told what kind of powerplant will be used (by the looks of the available renderings, the Tempest will be powered by two engines), but it'll be made with "advanced manufacturing processes."
The main goal of the engineers is to create an engine duct shaped in such a way as to slow air down from supersonic to subsonic speeds. Separately, the intake will be made with fewer moving parts to help with the plane's stealth attributes.
The ejection seat of the plane has also been put through its paces, with a rocket-propelled sled accelerating seat tech to speeds of 500 mph (805 kph) with undisclosed results.
Despite the fact the Tempest is supposed to be ready by 2030, it's only the demonstrator plane we're talking about here. The production version will not enter active duty before 2035, when it will be included in the air forces from the UK, Italy, and Japan.
Yet, the Tempest remains one of the very few military airplanes being built from the ground up in our lifetime, and that makes for a unique opportunity for all of us to witness the bird of an impressive piece of hardware.
Aside from the initial announcement, not many updates were provided on the project since, so all we knew about it was the theoretical plan to have it made and flown for the first time within just five years (that means by the end of the decade). And in the military aviation industry, that's quite the challenge.
This week we got the first true update on the project, one that sheds light on what the involved parties were up to this past year. And the short answer is: a lot.
It would seem the plane is already airborne, at least in the virtual world. Using software put together by BAE Systems in "days rather than weeks," test pilots are already hard at work putting the Tempest through its paces at a facility in Warton, Lancashire. To date, 150 hours of flight time have been recorded, targeting flight control systems during complex flight maneuvers.
At a time of writing the exact specs of the airplane are not known, but engineers are already at it conducting aerodynamic engine testing at the Rolls-Royce facility in Bristol. We're not told what kind of powerplant will be used (by the looks of the available renderings, the Tempest will be powered by two engines), but it'll be made with "advanced manufacturing processes."
The main goal of the engineers is to create an engine duct shaped in such a way as to slow air down from supersonic to subsonic speeds. Separately, the intake will be made with fewer moving parts to help with the plane's stealth attributes.
The ejection seat of the plane has also been put through its paces, with a rocket-propelled sled accelerating seat tech to speeds of 500 mph (805 kph) with undisclosed results.
Despite the fact the Tempest is supposed to be ready by 2030, it's only the demonstrator plane we're talking about here. The production version will not enter active duty before 2035, when it will be included in the air forces from the UK, Italy, and Japan.
Yet, the Tempest remains one of the very few military airplanes being built from the ground up in our lifetime, and that makes for a unique opportunity for all of us to witness the bird of an impressive piece of hardware.
Google News