Here’s how the UK pampers Tempest
According to Bae Systems, leader of Team Tempest, the United Kingdom is preparing to sign contracts for the aircraft system program of the future by the end of 2021. In the meantime, talks with Japan continue.
The UK is ready to award contracts for the Tempest program to partners Italy and Sweden by the end of the year.
This was stated by Bae Systems, leader of the consortium that includes Leonardo, Mbda and Rolls Royce working on the British initiative program for the sixth generation fighter, in an interview with Reuters .
At the moment, the UK has committed £ 2 billion to the program launched in 2018, which aims to start production by 2025, with delivery of the fighter aircraft system by 2035. The sixth generation stealth fighter is expected to replace the Eurofighter Typhoon from 2040.
In addition, the British defense giant added that negotiations are underway with Japan to join the project.
In fact, we recall that at the Dsei show in London on the Tempest mock up alongside the Swedish, Italian and British flags, that of Japan also appeared.
All the details.
CONTRACTS ON TEMPEST BY THE END OF 2021
Bae's director of Future Combat Air Systems, Michael Christie, told Reuters he expects contracts with the two partners on the concept and evaluation phase to be signed by the end of 2021.
On 22 July 2020, the industries of Italy, the United Kingdom and Sweden started a trilateral collaboration within the project.
And on July 29, the UK Ministry of Defense announced a new £ 250 million loan, part of the initial investment of over 2 billion, which will be distributed over the next four years.
With this contract, the British Defense officially kicked off the concept and assessment phase of the sixth generation Tempest air combat system. The next step is the signing of contracts with the two Italian and Swedish partners.
THE INDUSTRIES INVOLVED
The three national industries include the main defense companies in the United Kingdom (Bae Systems, Leonardo Uk, Rolls Royce and Mbda Uk), Italy (Leonardo Italy, Electronics, Avio Aero and Mbda Italy) and Sweden (Saab and Gkn Aerospace Sweden).
ABOUT JAPAN …
Could the UK partners on the Tempest project grow from two to three?
In July, the governments of Japan and the UK were discussing a potential joint program to develop aero-engine technologies that will power Tokyo's next-generation FX fighter aircraft , Janes reports. A spokesman for the British Ministry of Defense told Janes that the project with Japan is linked to the British government's Future Combat Air System, of which the future Tempest fighter is the crucial component.
“There is a lot of commonality between the UK and Japan in terms of what they are trying to achieve in this sphere… it is an ongoing area that we are actively pursuing,” Christie told Reuters .
"Talks with Japan have ranged from joining the program as a partner to collaboration on technology," said the Bae Systems manager.
ABOUT THE FCAS INSTEAD …
Finally, Reuters urged Bae's director of Future Combat Air Systems about competition between Tempest and FCAS.
While the UK, Italy and Sweden are partners in the Tempest program, France, Germany and Spain are working on the air combat system of the future rival to replace the French Rafale and the German and Spanish Eurofighters.
Analysts questioned whether European military budgets are sufficient for the two competing projects, Reuters recalls. And among the experts there is also the question whether a convergence between FCAS and Tempest is possible in the future. ( Here the deepening of Start by the analyst Giansiracusa on the parallel convergences between Tempest and Fcas ).
“The longer the two programs run separately, the harder it will be to come together,” says Michael Christie of Bae.
Finally, he recalled that "We are competing effectively to deliver the Tempest system in half the time we delivered Typhoon."
The goal is for the development program to start in 2025. The consortium aims to reach initial operational capacity by 2035.
This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Start Magazine at the URL https://www.startmag.it/innovazione/ecco-come-il-regno-unito-coccola-tempest/ on Mon, 04 Oct 2021 05:46:55 +0000.