Tempest fighter jet programme to be fast-tracked in 2020

The UK’s ambitious plans to develop a next generation stealth fighter jet will be sped up next year as the firms involved step up their recruitment efforts.

To meet the deadline, the companies plan to more than double the total UK workforce involved in the project from the current 1,000 to 2,500 by 2021 reported the Financial Times on Tuesday.

The four founding partners of the Tempest programme, BAE Systems; the UK arm of Leonardo of Italy; MBDA, the European missile maker; and Rolls-Royce have until December 2020 to complete an analysis of the programme.

“We have to give the government confidence we are working towards a viable international partnership,” said Andrew Kennedy, strategic campaigns director in BAE Systems’ Air division. “They have to be confident we are doing something that will be affordable, capable and delivered on time.”

The plans, which are critical to the future of Britain’s combat air capabilities, come as the UK is preparing a defence review that will examine UK’s diplomatic and military place in the world after Brexit and look at ways for the British armed forces to reduce costs.

The programme will eventually replace the Eurofighter Typhoon, which will start to be retired from Royal Air Force service in about 2040 and will complement the US made F-35 stealth fighter jet.

Tempest was unveiled in the summer of 2018 with initial funding of £2.0bn-a-year following a decision by France and Germany to leave the UK out of its future fighter jet programme.

According to the FT, Tempest was considered vital to securing the future of the UK’s £6.0bn-a-year combat air sector, which alone had accounted for more than 80.0% of the country’s defence exports over the past decade.