BAE Taranis (UCAV Demonstrator) (BAE Systems/MOD)

[jonas]

Taranis to complement manned aircraft, not replace them :-

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/ ... place-them

[shark bait]

Bae and MOD considering further Taranis test flights.
http://www.defensenews.com/story/defens ... /85653354/

Good read, I like the approach, a promising start.

reminds me of this image;



A mixture of stealthy unmanned platforms to penetrate defended airspace to collect data and strike a few targets, with manned platforms acting on the data collected from stand off distances to strike many targets.


Also Taranis is again being pushed for more flight trials.

[seaspear]

Is it known what type of radar the Taranis uses

[The Armchair Soldier]

Spotted this on Twitter:

[Gabriele]

"Stealth is totally overrated", they say when they have to play down the F-35.

And then this happens.

[GibMariner]

Taranis Flight Test Details Described

Nearly three years after it first flew, key aspects of the all-British Taranis UCAV (unmanned combat aerial vehicle) demonstrator remain classified. But further insights into the flight test program were revealed recently by three senior participants from BAE Systems, which is leading the effort. They spoke to the Royal Aeronautical Society’s Flight Test Group in London.

“Taranis has pushed the boundaries of technology, especially in autonomy, flight control, low observability and secure communications,” said Paddy Bourne, chief engineer. Although BAE Systems (Outdoor Exhibit 11) gained some prior experience in tail-less flight from the Corax, Kestrel and Raven small-scale experimental vehicles, the flight test progression of the Taranis campaign had to be very carefully designed on a safety-first basis, he explained.

More here: https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news ... -described

[arfah]

From Janes.

Taranis and Neuron to be superceded...

by two capability demonstrators, one for the UK and one for France in the mid 2020's - BAE Systems and Dassault, collaboratively.

http://www.janes.com/article/62268/farn ... mme-update

[cockneyjock1974]

I don't know if it's going to be much of an issue but at least we have Woomera so we can test in relative secrecy, I believe France does not have anything similar so I hope both aircraft will be tested there.

[arfah]

............

[cockneyjock1974]

Oui a la Sepecat Jaguar et Concorde.

We all know what the French do if they don't get their way, la toys out Le pram, bugger off and do their own thing.

However hopefully not this time

[seaspear]

An interesting article suggesting that B.A.E has incorporated technology from Taranis into the Australian division of B.A.E Loyal Wingman " program ,does this suggest that B.A.E sees a future version of this aircraft flying with the R.A.F
https://aviationweek.com/shows-events/a ... 8add3503b7

[ArmChairCivvy]

does this suggest that B.A.E sees a future version of this aircraft flying with the R.A.F

Well, they are a global company (though this kind of technology will be closely controlled).

(Friendly) customers will still be many, just look at Elon Musk lecturing in a USAF symposium about the instant (autonomous) manoeuvres of the wingman/ drone, while the overall mission and changing priorities during it remain man-controlled.

[Lord Jim]

Licenced production by BAe in the UK would help retain more of their workforce and Typhoon production slows and we wait to see where Tempest leaves us.

[cky7]

Cynic in me says they’re realising the project might actually come to fruition with the Ozzies running jt so are placing their bets and tech developed here there where Australia will real the benefit. Fair enough, the project looks good and I can see it being exactly the first step in all these systems of systems sixth gen fighters are gonna need. Guess having a coherent, well planned and funded defence industrial strategy from govt down has its advantages. When I look 20 years down the road it looks increasingly likely they’ll have a better equipped and suited to their needs and even more capable armed forces than us. Only advantages I can see us having are 7 SSNs, but this is blunted by nearly double top end SSKs, the carriers - which the current likely air group won t actually offer anything better in real terms cos we’ll have nothing more on them than they’ve got on their multi purpose assault carriers. CASD is the one indisputable advantage we got but I worry if that will ever really come to fruition at times. When you look at all the areas where they’ll have more numbers and capability (even their type 26s will be more ships, all of more capable specs). Makes you sad, a country half our size will be someone were a US general I’d be possibly more interested in having on side...

Still exciting project, I sort of see the future fighter system having two or three UCAV types, one like thus that will eventually even do fighty stuff and be armed. One more like the Taranis flying wing as a stealthy sensor to sneak ahead and see what’s where etc. And perhaps a third much cheaper type more akin to a group of increasing in range MALD type weapons to act as decoys and cause all sorts of EW/ECM carnage....

Fair play to Australia running with the ball and doing not just talking

[seaspear]

Im curious to understand how B.A.E in Australia is able to or allowed to incorporate technology from a U.K project ,I understand that in the U.S there is a firewall that stops non U.S citizens at B.A.E receiving specific information that is classified ,is there any copyright protection for Taranis that has likely been subsidised by the U.K government in its development from being used elsewhere overseas .
Im not suggesting that B.A.E did anything wrong here and expect this was with government approval for export of technology as has been suggested with the Tempest program whereas the Tempest program was certainly more public in intent in seeking partnerships , this seems to be different

[ArmChairCivvy]

whereas the Tempest program was certainly more public in intent in seeking partnerships , this seems to be different

The European competing prgrm was also very public about its intent for the unmanned wingman... may be this is/ will be Tempest's 'stealthy' wingman?