Britain has committed £708 million ($946m) to develop advanced technologies for the Royal Air Force’s next-generation fighter, codenamed Tempest, in a major defence spending push announced at the Farnborough International Airshow in Hampshire. The funding extends an existing contract with BAE Systems for the UK’s Future Combat Air System (FCAS), part of the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP) — a tripartite effort between the UK, Italy and Japan.
The fresh cash injection was accompanied by a £20 million ($27m) hypersonic target contract awarded to Lockheed Martin UK for Project Bowline, and the unveiling of a “loyal wingman” drone prototype, named Brontanax, by BAE Systems. According to the Ministry of Defence, the technologies covered by the new contract include digital engineering, artificial intelligence, and advanced manufacturing support such as augmented reality, additive manufacturing and robotics.
“UK invests £708m in Tempest fighter, £20m hypersonic target, and BAE unveils loyal wingman drone at Farnborough.”
“This investment in advanced combat air technology for the UK Armed Forces will strengthen our defence and deterrence and shows our clear commitment to backing British workers with our defence investment, creating jobs and supporting communities across the UK,” said newly appointed Defence Secretary Wes Streeting. The aircraft is expected to enter service in 2035, with a flying demonstrator scheduled for next year.
The £708m follows the recently published Defence Investment Plan, in which the government promised £8.6 billion ($11.5bn) over four years for GCAP, on top of more than £5 billion ($6.7bn) already spent. Canada this week announced it will join GCAP as an Observer, hinting at a potential future purchase.
At the airshow, BAE also revealed its Brontanax prototype — named from ancient Greek for “Thunder King” — an uncrewed Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) roughly the size of an RAF Hawk trainer jet. It is designed to provide electronic warfare and precision strike capability against airborne and ground targets, and BAE expects it to enter service before the end of the decade. Streeting said the UK is separately investing £300 million ($402m) in a “Storm Fighter” programme to develop an autonomous combat aircraft, adding that Brontanax “shows the depth of industrial capability we have here in Britain to help deliver our ambition to become Europe’s first sixth generation air force.”
The MoD’s hypersonic target contract, awarded under the Science and Technology Oriented Research and Development in Missile Defence (STORM) programme, will see Lockheed Martin UK design, build, qualify and test a target simulating threats at speeds above Mach 5 at its Bedfordshire facility. The new spending signals Britain’s determination to stay at the cutting edge of air combat technology — but whether the RAF will ultimately buy the Brontanax drone remains an open question.