Family fleet: The RAF's concept model for the next generation jet fighter "Tempest", F-35B, Typhoon and Tornado aircraft, all seen here in the F-35B hangar at RAF Marham

While the RAF will maintain its swing-role Eurofighter Typhoon FGR4s, the less advanced Tranche 1 aircraft will be removed from service early

The old and the new: a Eurofighter Typhoon sits next to a concept model of Tempest, a vision of the UK's future combat aircraft, at BAE Systems in Warton
The Tempest sixth-generation fighter concept is planned to replace the RAF's Eurofighter Typhoon fleet from the late 2030s.
Those who value aesthetics in aircraft design may be reassured by the reminder that this, now very familiar twin-finned, pelican-nosed configuration - may not be the final Tempest design

Британский «беспилотник» «Таранис»
Cousin of the XB-47? Image of Taranis, Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle (UCAV), Taxiing at BAE Systems facility in Warton, Lancashire. Developed in 2013, Taranis was one of the RAF's first attempts to develop an uninhabited combat air system. This shot gives a sense of how large the main landing gear doors are.

The UK has yet to specify how many F-35B fifth-generation stealth fighters it will procure over the lifetime of the programme, with the type potentially increasingly focused on the provision of carrier-based strike capability in future

The future battlespace will see a network of systems interoperating, utilising machine learning, AI analytics and data processing to enable ever-faster decision making

A digital thread runs right through the Tempest programme, from concepting, through to design, manufacturing, sustainment and operation
Inside the 'Factory of the Future': the new facility at BAE Systems’ site in Warton, Lancashire. A digitally connected, intelligent factory for future military aircraft production

Virtual assistant: concept AI-enabled cockpit from BAE Systems. An AI assistant could help lower the cognitive load faced by pilots in the future

Loyal wingman? Computer-generated image of the Lightweight Affordable Novel Combat Aircraft (LANCA). Cheap and therefore expendable, the LANCA project aims to ‘bulk out' the RAF’s fleet of crewed fighters
Spirit AeroSystems and Northrop Grumman UK are involved in the UK's 'loyal wingman' project
Autonomous systems such as LANCA will continue to be a focus for UK defence