Whilst attending Farnborough International Airshow 2022 on July 18, the UK Secretary of State for Defence, Ben Wallace MP confirmed plans for the UK to lead the development of a 6th generation flying combat air demonstrator that is scheduled to fly in five years.
This air demonstrator will provide multiple principles such as, technology and design to deliver the UK’s Future Combat Air System (FCAS). BAE Systems is leading the demonstrator programme which will be the first combat air demonstration in a generation both designed and developed in the UK. This is with aid from multiple UK suppliers and the UK MoD.
Team Tempest which comprises leaders of the aviation industry such as, BAE Systems, Leonardo, MBDA UK and Rolls-Royce launched in 2018. The team is developing the flagship project which is only one part of a suite of multiple novel technologies being developed. The concepts which Team Tempest create are designed to demonstrate and test next generation combat skills to ensure the UK’s FCAS achieves in service by the expected date of 2035.
