Latest news with #BAESystems
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Erdogan says Germany, Britain positive on Eurofighter jets sale to Turkey
ANKARA (Reuters) -Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said Germany and Britain took a positive stance on the sale of Eurofighter jets to Turkey, adding that Ankara wants to finalise the purchase as soon as possible. Turkey has been in talks on buying Eurofighter Typhoon jets, which are built by a consortium of Germany, Britain, Italy and Spain, represented by companies Airbus, BAE Systems and Leonardo. "The British and Germans are approaching this positively. God willing, I believe we will receive our jet planes as soon as possible," Erdogan was cited as telling reporters on a flight from northern Cyprus. "In my meetings with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, I saw they also approached the issue positively and hopefully we will take this step," he said, according to a transcript of his comments published on Monday. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
‘She's going to be big': why Putin should fear Britain's next fighter jet
The first thing to know about Britain's flagship new fighter jet is that it's big. This becomes immediately clear when you see the full-scale mock-up that dominates a warehouse at the Warton factory near Preston, Lancashire, which is run by British defence giant BAE Systems. And here, size matters. Because it tells you a lot about what the UK, Italy and Japan are planning for the supersonic stealth jet they are building together. The three countries are aiming to bring the aircraft – which has been christened 'Tempest' in the UK – into service by 2035 under an agreement known as the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP). 'This won't be the final shape and size but, in terms of scale, it's about the same,' says Jonny Moreton, of BAE, during a visit by The Telegraph. 'Whatever GCAP as a core platform is going to be ... she is going to be big.' A bigger jet means bigger fuel tanks. That means more range and bigger payloads of explosive warheads. But the size also means weapons can be stored internally – ensuring a smooth exterior that makes the aircraft harder to detect with radar. At the same time, Tempest will be packed with technology allowing it to link up with other aircraft, drones, ground forces and satellites. All this suggests Tempest is being designed for long-haul missions deep into enemy territory, where communicating with home base may be impossible. If Nato ever ended up at war against Putin's Russia, experts say this means the aircraft would take off from a British airfield, fly to Russia undetected, destroy hostile air defences and then fly all the way back again. Not only that, but such a long range would allow Japanese pilots to strike deep into the Chinese mainland in any future Pacific conflict. Moreton, who is also an ex-commodore of the Royal Air Force, remains tight-lipped about whether these propositions are correct. But with modern warfare happening at ever-larger distances, he concedes that any deterrent to Russian and Chinese aggression must be able to operate 'at ranges that previously we've been unable to do'. 'You need to be able to get there safely, undetected and return home,' he adds. So critical is the need for range that project leaders have suggested the jet will be capable of crossing the Atlantic without mid-air refuelling – something no Royal Air Force fighter has ever been able to do. A Typhoon jet, the backbone of the RAF's existing fleet, has a combat radius of about 860 miles on a single tank of fuel. Meanwhile, the American-made F-35A stealth jet, which air force chiefs recently said they were planning to acquire, has a combat radius of about 680 miles. That is less than half the distance between London and Moscow, which is roughly 1,550 miles. It means Tempest will be in a league of its own when it comes to British fighters, says Francis Tusa, an independent defence analyst. 'As the requirements have changed over the years, so have the models,' he says. 'You can make your aircraft as stealthy as you like but if it has to be refuelled by a tanker then ultimately your adversary just needs to track down and destroy the tanker. 'So you need enough internal fuel to go a very, very long way – and stay out there.' Tempest in combat Imagine Nato and Russia did go to war in future – what does this mean for Tempest's role in the fight? Tusa says in week one of the conflict, Tempest would probably have to go into Russia and attack surface-to-air missile defences and air bases. Then in week two, when there is no threat from air defences, the jet can either be an air superiority fighter that loiters in the sky and takes out enemy fighters or continues in a ground support role. To fulfil that role, it is expected to be able to unleash massive arsenals of explosive weapons on its targets – potentially twice as much as an F-35 can deploy. Based on reports, Tusa says Tempest's maximum takeoff weight could be 'north of 30 tonnes' compared to Typhoon's 23 tonnes. That is more than the Lancaster bombers used in the Second World War. 'It is going to be in a completely different league to anything we have ever built,' Tusa says. The technology being built into Tempest will also ensure the jet can act as an airborne communications hub, even if contact with bases back in Britain has been disrupted. This means it can act as a central contact point for nearby friendly drones and missiles, as well as forces on the ground and satellites in space. 'We need to be able to operate at range, where our communications might be disrupted,' explains BAE's Moreton. 'Therefore we need to make sure we have a core platform that's crewed, that's in a position that it can be the heart of the network if we're unable to communicate back to home base for operations. 'It needs to be able to operate in an isolated environment.' Automation push BAE is part of 'Team Tempest', a partnership between the Ministry of Defence and industry that also includes Rolls-Royce, missile maker MBDA and Italy's Leonardo . Since 2023, however, the effort has been amalgamated with GCAP, with the UK, Italy and Japan combining research and development into a single programme. The British team, led by BAE, is working on a demonstrator jet that will road-test a key piece of equipment – a vent system that will feed air to Tempest's engines using an S-bend that wends its way through the aircraft's insides. This is vital to reducing the jet's radar signature. A trial has been scheduled for some time in 2027 and remains on schedule, according to BAE. At Warton, the company is trialling new production processes that will be used to fabricate the aircraft's wings and tail fins in the coming months. These include additive manufacturing, a form of 3D printing where material is added instead of removed, the production of large, carbon-based panels and more extensive use of robots. For example, reconfigurable robot arms are being used instead of specialist 'jigs' that were previously needed on the production lines of older aircraft such as the Typhoon. Jigs are tools that hold components in place or guide cutting tools during manufacturing and are often tailor-made for a certain stage of the process. Using robots instead will slash the cost of making the jigs – which often runs to tens of millions of pounds – and could shave up to three years off the run-up to full-rate production. It also means the factory floor is more easily reconfigurable, saving money for BAE at its facilities and letting the company easily switch to the production of a different product when required. All this will help to keep vital domestic skills alive as the company prepares to transition away from making Typhoon to producing Tempest in the next decade. That is still some way away, BAE stresses, with workers likely to be kept busy for at least the next 10 years by orders anticipated from Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey. But the development of Tempest will help to preserve Britain's sovereign capability to make its own aircraft, says Richard Hamilton, the managing director for Europe and International at BAE's air business. 'We're one of a small number of nations that have the whole aircraft capability,' he says. 'That means we can design an aircraft, we can make it and we can actually fly it from the site as well to our customers. 'Not many other countries still have that capability, so it's a freedom of action that our Government has at the moment.' This is one reason why other countries are also queuing up to join the GCAP consortium. Saudi Arabia is understood to be one of the countries in discussions with the three existing national partners, although it is not clear yet what level of involvement the Gulf nation could have. Riyadh is currently a buyer of the Typhoon jet but defence sources say the kingdom is looking for a potentially weightier role in GCAP that would give it more influence over capabilities and a greater role in manufacturing as well. But Herman Claesen, the head of future combat air at BAE, says the window for new joiners is narrowing, particularly given the brisk pace the founding countries want to maintain. 'To be part of the core programme today in the same way as Japan, Italy and the UK, because of the pace we've achieved and where we are today, becomes quite challenging and will have an impact which the three governments will have to either reject or accept,' Claesen says. 'It's never impossible ... we can make anything happen. But I see the likelihood as diminishing all the time, considering the pace we have on the programme.' Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. Solve the daily Crossword
L'Orient-Le Jour
2 days ago
- Business
- L'Orient-Le Jour
Merz visits UK as Europe closes ranks in face of threats
Friedrich Merz embarks on his first trip to London as German chancellor on Thursday to sign a wide-ranging friendship treaty with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, part of a broader push to reset the EU's relationship with Britain. Merz's day trip follows a three-day state visit to Britain by French President Emmanuel Macron, signalling greater cooperation between Europe's top three powers at a time of threats to the continent and uncertainty about their U.S. ally. Europe has been confronted with new U.S. tariffs since President Donald Trump returned to the White House as well as questions about the U.S. commitment to defend its European allies, including Ukraine in the face of Russia's invasion. "The agreement comes at a time when, as Europeans, we are particularly challenged in terms of security policy," a German government official said in a briefing ahead of the trip. "Not stated in the preamble is that transatlantic matters are also — let's put it this way — in flux. This too is part of the context." Germany has such friendship treaties with just a handful of countries like France, symbolizing the closeness of their ties. Coming nearly a decade after Britain voted to leave the European Union, the treaty includes a clause on mutual assistance which, "in light of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, is highly significant", the official said. It builds on a defence deal agreed last year that included the joint development of long-range strike weapons, and comes after France and Britain agreed last week to reinforce cooperation over their respective nuclear arsenals. As part of the announcement on Thursday, Britain and Germany will pledge to "pursue joint export campaigns" to drum up orders from other countries for equipment they make jointly, such as the Typhoon Eurofighter jet and the Boxer armoured vehicle. That could help boost sales, and represents a significant reversal from the previous ten years, when Germany blocked Saudi Arabia and Turkey from buying Typhoons. Typhoons are made by a consortium of European companies, including BAE Systems in Britain and Airbus in Germany, with the different partner governments responsible for orders to different countries; the Boxer is made by a German-British joint venture, Rheinmetall BAE Systems Land. Further deepening ties, a German defense tech company, Stark, has also agreed to build a new factory in Britain, the first production facility outside of Germany, to create AI-powered unmanned systems. Beyond defense, the treaty will also include an agreement to jointly combat smuggling and human trafficking, the German official said - addressing a key demand of Starmer's government which is under pressure to show it can control migration. The British government said Germany would make a landmark commitment to outlaw the facilitation of illegal migration to Britain, with a law change to be adopted by the end of the year. That would give law enforcement the tools to investigate warehouses and storage facilities used by migrant smugglers to conceal dangerous small boats intended for illegal crossings to Britain, it said in a statement.
Telegraph
2 days ago
- Business
- Telegraph
‘She's going to be big': why Putin should fear Britain's next fighter jet
The first thing to know about Britain's flagship new fighter jet is that it's big. This becomes immediately clear when you see the full-scale mock-up that dominates a warehouse at the Warton factory near Preston, Lancashire, which is run by British defence giant BAE Systems. And here, size matters. Because it tells you a lot about what the UK, Italy and Japan are planning for the supersonic stealth jet they are building together. The three countries are aiming to bring the aircraft – which has been christened 'Tempest' in the UK – into service by 2035 under an agreement known as the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP). 'This won't be the final shape and size but, in terms of scale, it's about the same,' says Jonny Moreton, of BAE, during a visit by The Telegraph. 'Whatever GCAP as a core platform is going to be ... she is going to be big.' A bigger jet means bigger fuel tanks. That means more range and bigger payloads of explosive warheads. But the size also means weapons can be stored internally – ensuring a smooth exterior that makes the aircraft harder to detect with radar. At the same time, Tempest will be packed with technology allowing it to link up with other aircraft, drones, ground forces and satellites. All this suggests Tempest is being designed for long-haul missions deep into enemy territory, where communicating with home base may be impossible. If Nato ever ended up at war against Putin's Russia, experts say this means the aircraft would take off from a British airfield, fly to Russia undetected, destroy hostile air defences and then fly all the way back again. Not only that, but such a long range would allow Japanese pilots to strike deep into the Chinese mainland in any future Pacific conflict. Moreton, who is also an ex-commodore of the Royal Air Force, remains tight-lipped about whether these propositions are correct. But with modern warfare happening at ever-larger distances, he concedes that any deterrent to Russian and Chinese aggression must be able to operate 'at ranges that previously we've been unable to do'. 'You need to be able to get there safely, undetected and return home,' he adds. So critical is the need for range that project leaders have suggested the jet will be capable of crossing the Atlantic without mid-air refuelling – something no Royal Air Force fighter has ever been able to do. A Typhoon jet, the backbone of the RAF's existing fleet, has a combat radius of about 860 miles on a single tank of fuel. Meanwhile, the American-made F-35A stealth jet, which air force chiefs recently said they were planning to acquire, has a combat radius of about 680 miles. That is less than half the distance between London and Moscow, which is roughly 1,550 miles. It means Tempest will be in a league of its own when it comes to British fighters, says Francis Tusa, an independent defence analyst. 'As the requirements have changed over the years, so have the models,' he says. 'You can make your aircraft as stealthy as you like but if it has to be refuelled by a tanker then ultimately your adversary just needs to track down and destroy the tanker. 'So you need enough internal fuel to go a very, very long way – and stay out there.' Tempest in combat Imagine Nato and Russia did go to war in future – what does this mean for Tempest's role in the fight? Tusa says in week one of the conflict, Tempest would probably have to go into Russia and attack surface-to-air missile defences and air bases. Then in week two, when there is no threat from air defences, the jet can either be an air superiority fighter that loiters in the sky and takes out enemy fighters or continues in a ground support role. To fulfil that role, it is expected to be able to unleash massive arsenals of explosive weapons on its targets – potentially twice as much as an F-35 can deploy. Based on reports, Tusa says Tempest could be expected to carry payloads 'north of 30 tonnes' compared to Typhoon's 23 tonnes. That is more than Lancaster bombers transported in the Second World War. 'It is going to be in a completely different league to anything we have ever built,' Tusa says. The technology being built into Tempest will also ensure the jet can act as an airborne communications hub, even if contact with bases back in Britain has been disrupted. This means it can act as a central contact point for nearby friendly drones and missiles, as well as forces on the ground and satellites in space. 'We need to be able to operate at range, where our communications might be disrupted,' explains BAE's Moreton. 'Therefore we need to make sure we have a core platform that's crewed, that's in a position that it can be the heart of the network if we're unable to communicate back to home base for operations. 'It needs to be able to operate in an isolated environment.' Automation push BAE is part of 'Team Tempest', a partnership between the Ministry of Defence and industry that also includes Rolls-Royce, missile maker MBDA and Italy's Leonardo . Since 2023, however, the effort has been amalgamated with GCAP, with the UK, Italy and Japan combining research and development into a single programme. The British team, led by BAE, is working on a demonstrator jet that will road-test a key piece of equipment – a vent system that will feed air to Tempest's engines using an S-bend that wends its way through the aircraft's insides. This is vital to reducing the jet's radar signature. A trial has been scheduled for some time in 2027 and remains on schedule, according to BAE. At Warton, the company is trialling new production processes that will be used to fabricate the aircraft's wings and tail fins in the coming months. These include additive manufacturing, a form of 3D printing where material is added instead of removed, the production of large, carbon-based panels and more extensive use of robots. For example, reconfigurable robot arms are being used instead of specialist 'jigs' that were previously needed on the production lines of older aircraft such as the Typhoon. Jigs are tools that hold components in place or guide cutting tools during manufacturing and are often tailor-made for a certain stage of the process. Using robots instead will slash the cost of making the jigs – which often runs to tens of millions of pounds – and could shave up to three years off the run-up to full-rate production. It also means the factory floor is more easily reconfigurable, saving money for BAE at its facilities and letting the company easily switch to the production of a different product when required. All this will help to keep vital domestic skills alive as the company prepares to transition away from making Typhoon to producing Tempest in the next decade. That is still some way away, BAE stresses, with workers likely to be kept busy for at least the next 10 years by orders anticipated from Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey. But the development of Tempest will help to preserve Britain's sovereign capability to make its own aircraft, says Richard Hamilton, the managing director for Europe and International at BAE's air business. 'We're one of a small number of nations that have the whole aircraft capability,' he says. 'That means we can design an aircraft, we can make it and we can actually fly it from the site as well to our customers. 'Not many other countries still have that capability, so it's a freedom of action that our Government has at the moment.' This is one reason why other countries are also queuing up to join the GCAP consortium. Saudi Arabia is understood to be one of the countries in discussions with the three existing national partners, although it is not clear yet what level of involvement the Gulf nation could have. Riyadh is currently a buyer of the Typhoon jet but defence sources say the kingdom is looking for a potentially weightier role in GCAP that would give it more influence over capabilities and a greater role in manufacturing as well. But Herman Claesen, the head of future combat air at BAE, says the window for new joiners is narrowing, particularly given the brisk pace the founding countries want to maintain. 'To be part of the core programme today in the same way as Japan, Italy and the UK, because of the pace we've achieved and where we are today, becomes quite challenging and will have an impact which the three governments will have to either reject or accept,' Claesen says. 'It's never impossible ... we can make anything happen. But I see the likelihood as diminishing all the time, considering the pace we have on the programme.'
Daily Record
3 days ago
- Business
- Daily Record
UK on way to flying first home-designed fighter jet in four decades
MoD has released image of stealth combat aircraft demonstrator The UK has hit a significant landmark in a next-generation stealth combat aircraft project, with the Ministry of Defence (MoD) revealing designs for its first domestically-developed crewed supersonic combat demonstrator in over four decades. A joint venture between BAE Systems, Rolls-Royce, MBDA UK and the MoD, the jet is anticipated to take to the skies within the next three years as t wo-thirds of its structural weight is now in the production phase. The main body, wings and tail fins of the aircraft are currently being assembled using state-of-the-art digital and robotic manufacturing at sites in Lancashire. The design aims to test a broad spectrum of technologies such as stealth-compatible features and cutting-edge flight controls. Test pilots have already logged over 300 hours in a high-fidelity simulator built specifically for the demonstrator, while engineers continue to utilise simulated flight trials to evaluate performance, test control systems, and collect flight data ahead of the inaugural takeoff. The demonstrator forms part of the UK's contribution to the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP), a collaboration with Japan and Italy that seeks to deliver a sixth-generation fighter aircraft by the mid-2030s, reports the Express. It is considered crucial for mitigating risks in future aircraft development, ensuring Britain maintains its leading position in aerospace advancement. Tony Godbold, the Future Combat Air Systems Delivery Director at BAE Systems, remarked: "This significant and challenging project will deliver the UK's first crewed combat demonstrator aircraft in four decades. "As well as developing a unique aircraft, we're building the technical foundations, workforce readiness and digital maturity essential to deliver the next generation of combat air capability." The initiative also aims to slash the time and cost of constructing future military jets through various methods including model-based systems engineering, alongside 3D printing, cobotics, and immersive simulation. Since its inception in 2018, the project has seen contributions from over 1,000 apprentices and graduates, more than 600 suppliers, 91 small and medium-sized enterprises, and 26 academic institutions. The demonstrator represents the UK's inaugural manned supersonic combat air venture since the Experimental Aircraft Programme (EAP), which was instrumental in the development of the Eurofighter Typhoon and first flew in 1986. "I am delighted that today, BAE Systems and the Ministry of Defence can share this important update," expressed Richard Berthon, Director Future Combat Air at the MoD. "For the first time, people can see how this cutting-edge demonstrator aircraft will look when it takes to the skies. "The Combat Air Flying Demonstrator is providing invaluable lessons on future combat air delivery and equipping our people with the skills they will need to deliver GCAP."
