The first glimpse of the RAF’s next generation of “groundbreaking” fighter jets has been revealed, but MPs have warned the £12 billion cost of the programme could spiral.
The jets, dubbed the Tempest, are not scheduled enter service until in 2035 but are set to vital gaps in British air defences.
They are being developed for the Ministry of Defence (MoD) alongside Italy and Japan under the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP), replacing the RAF’s Typhoon jets.
The jets appear to have a sleek, futuristic design, as suggested by computer-generated images (CGI) issued by BAE Systems.
The firm designing the jets says it has made “remarkable” progress on the “completely new and ground-breaking combat aircraft” in a short time.
MPs have welcomed the progress made so far but have warned over the potential for the cost of the £12 billion programme to spiral.
Commons Defence Committee Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi said: “All too often multilateral defence programmes are beset with soaring costs and mounting delays. GCAP must break the mould.”
MPs raised the surging costs and delays of Italy, Germany and Spain’s Eurofighter Typhoon as an example of what should be avoided.
A Ministry of Defence spokesperson has said that all GCAP partners are “fully focused on the 2035 target date to deliver a world-leading combat aircraft, helping keep us ahead of new and evolving threats for decades to come.”
Earlier this month, former defence minister Tobias Ellwood warned that Russia’s threat to Britain’s air space is growing “far more hostile, complex and unpredictable.”
He wrote in the Daily Mail: “As a former defence minister on the duty roster, I had to approve take off on more than one occasion – usually in response to Russian aircraft buzzing in our airspace. Today, the air threat looks far more hostile, complex and unpredictable.”
If Britain did come under attack, it would respond with its Quick Reaction Alert operation. This would involve scrambling RAF Typhoons to intercept incoming missiles.
Mr Ellwood claimed this alone would not be enough to keep Britain safe.
He added: “The latest generation of long-range missiles now travel faster (moving to hypersonic speeds), often on a parabola that takes them to the edge of space. In salvos, that would simply overwhelm any aircraft response.”
But the next generation of Tempest aircraft could help, with advanced weapons, increased stealth and the ability to work alongside unmanned combat aircraft expected to bolster the RAF’s defence capabilities.
Dr James Bosbotini told Force News: “It’s bringing in a quantum leap in performance in what your aircraft can do, in how weapons integrate and how aircraft both crewed and uncrewed operate together and with what wider assets.”