Air International 2024-09 / News

A large near-delta-shaped wing, similar to that of the US NGAD fighter and typical of other sixth-generation configurations, was unveiled at the show. The larger wing design will improve the aerodynamics and range of the future combat aircraft

Air International 2025-06 / J.Lake - Flying and fighting in GCAP/Tempest

The current Tempest configuration was first unveiled at the 2024 Farnborough International Airshow, not least via this full-scale model

Air International 2024-10 / J.Lake - Will it be blue skies or stormy skies for Tempest?

The BAE Systems Hall at Farnborough was dominated by a life-sized 1:1 scale model of Tempest/GCAP, onto which various logos and graphics were projected. Over 1,000 suppliers are supporting the programme across three nations

Air International 2024-10 / A.Dron - Farnborough in safe hands

A revised configuration to the Global Combat Aircraft Programme was unveiled at the show, causing considerable interest amongst the defence media present

Air International 2024-09 / News

The GCAP is set to deliver the UK, Italy, and Japan a 'sixth-generation' fighter that will be able to operate with supporting unmanned combat air vehicles (UCAVS)

Air International 2024-10 / J.Lake - Will it be blue skies or stormy skies for Tempest?

Britain's new Prime Minister. Sir Keir Starmer, see here with Dr Charles Woodburn, Group Chief Executive Officer of BAE Systems

Air International 2024-10 / J.Lake - Will it be blue skies or stormy skies for Tempest?

Hitoshi Shiraishi (Senior Fellow, GCAP with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries) posing with the GCAP model. Japan supported the GCAP effort at Farnborough with its industry executives and even its Defence Minister, Minoru Kihara

Air International 2024-10 / J.Lake - Will it be blue skies or stormy skies for Tempest?

The latest GCAP concept has low observability at its heart, with more internal volume for fuel and payload than today's fifth-generation platforms

Air International 2024-10 / J.Lake - Will it be blue skies or stormy skies for Tempest?

The Crewed Combat Air Demonstrator is in build, with more than half of the airframe by weight now in assembly. Innovative materials and manufacturing processes hold the promise of rapid progress

Air International 2024-10 / J.Lake - Will it be blue skies or stormy skies for Tempest?

The case for GCAP is compelling, but short-termism and budgetary constraints could threaten progress. One hopes that whoever is responsible for the landing gear draws up something sturdier than the one shown in this CGI image!

Air International 2024-10 / J.Lake - Will it be blue skies or stormy skies for Tempest?

The ambitions of the GCAP team are stoked by the threat picture that the partners are facing. There is a constant 'ratchet of the bar' in terms of the threat and the battlespace which threatens the viability of today's combat air platforms. The GCAP partners are building a complementary platform that will build on the value and competence of the F-35 and that can raise the bar enough to ensure continuing air dominance

Air International 2025-06 / J.Lake - Flying and fighting in GCAP/Tempest

Gp Capt 'Bill' said that "the threat environment means that range has become a really big thing for all of us... We're building an aircraft that is going to have an awful lot of range. We're talking really extreme range, maybe getting across the Atlantic to America on internal fuel!"

Air International 2024-10 / J.Lake - Will it be blue skies or stormy skies for Tempest?

The partners say that they are rapidly homing in on the final configuration, but what makes GCAP a potential world-beater is what goes inside. Leonardo gave a little more detail about sensor integration at Farnborough

Air International 2024-10 / J.Lake - Will it be blue skies or stormy skies for Tempest?

Air International 2024-10 / J.Lake - Will it be blue skies or stormy skies for Tempest?

A pair of Tempests in flight. The aircraft will offer unrivalled range and a much larger payload than other stealthy tactical combat air platforms, as well as agility and impressive sensor capabilities
It is currently unknown what impact the Strategic Defence Security Review (due to be undertaken by the Labour government) will have on the programme, the results of which are due to be published in 2025
Some have suggested that the size of GCAP may indicate that performance and agility have been sacrificed. This is not the case, though the aircraft does have a payload, range and formidable sensing capabilities

Air International 2024-10 / J.Lake - Will it be blue skies or stormy skies for Tempest?

A CGI image of a GCAP fighter flying over Rome. Interestingly, Leonardo's CGI images sometimes show more external detail than similar images issued by BAE Systems

Air International 2025-06 / J.Lake - Flying and fighting in GCAP/Tempest

Were it not a computer-generated image, the pilot of this Tempest could look forward to a stern ticking off for buzzing London landmark 'The Shard'! At least he's too high to repeat Al Pollock's 1968 sortie, during which the RAF pilot flew between the spans of Tower Bridge!

Air International 2025-05 / J.Lake - NGAD, GCAP and NGF can't do it all

The latest GCAP/Tempest concept features a large delta wing, likely designed to accommodate significant fuel capacity, while its fuselage is notably more voluminous than that of the sleek Concept 5 design. The latter could effectively complement the larger aircraft or serve as an alternative for specific export customers

Air International 2025-06 / J.Lake - Flying and fighting in GCAP/Tempest

Thus far, the GCAP programme has enjoyed cross party support in the UK, and across the consortium who will build the aircraft. Senior figures have expressed strong support for the programme, even in advance of the UK's forthcoming Strategic Defence and Security Review. Here a computer-generated Tempest pays tribute to the Houses of Parliament!

Air International 2025-05 / J.Lake - NGAD, GCAP and NGF can't do it all

Japanese analyst BuchMaru, a former avionics engineer and game programmer, is committed to uncovering "the secrets of the next-generation fighter". As a talented CGI artist and model maker, he produced this exclusive artwork of BAE's Concept Class 5, showcasing the two most recently revealed Tempest/GCAP iterations

Другие самолёты на фотографии: Another planes on the photo: BAE Systems Tempest - ВеликобританияUnited Kingdom - 2026

Air International 2025-06 / J.Lake - Flying and fighting in GCAP/Tempest

Tempests in flight. The aircraft will offer unrivalled range and a much larger payload than other stealthy tactical combat air platforms in the process, giving the RAF sixth-generation air dominance for decades

Air International 2025-06 / J.Lake - Flying and fighting in GCAP/Tempest

The Tempest design has evolved, and the aircraft now bears little resemblance to the 'Pregnant Pelican' mock up unveiled at Farnborough in 2018, and subsequently exhibited at several air and trade shows

Air International 2025-06 / J.Lake - Flying and fighting in GCAP/Tempest

Episode 14 was a special edition of the Future Horizons podcast, joining forces with InsideAir, the official podcast of the Royal Air Force, to investigate just how FCAS will address the Royal Air Force's capability gap and what the aviators and engineers of the future can expect from this sixth generation capability

Air International 2025-06 / J.Lake - Flying and fighting in GCAP/Tempest

Tempest stands in stark contrast to today's F-35-offering its operators real operational sovereignty and massive economic and industrial benefit. The rapid and agile iteration of genuinely sovereign mission data is expected to be a key differentiator

Air International 2024-09 / News

The tri-national Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP) unveiled at the Farnborough Airshow now features a revised wider wingspan
The refined GCAP concept show at Farnborough has significantly more wing area than previous GCAP and Tempest models, promising low drag and high lift