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A model of the fighter jet delivered in July 2022
The United Kingdom, Japan and Italy have partnered to develop a new fighter jet that uses artificial intelligence and has more advanced technologies than the current generation of British fighter jets. The collaboration was announced by British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak last week. He said the partnership “will protect the country from the new threats we face”.
“We are one of the few countries in the world capable of developing technologically advanced fighter jets,” Sunak said during a visit to the Royal Air Force (RAF, British Air Force).
The countries will jointly develop the next-generation fighter jet, the Tempest, which is expected to enter service in the mid-2030s. It is expected to replace the Typhoon fighter currently in use in the UK.
Development work is already underway. The goal is to develop a fighter plane that uses speed, intelligence, advanced sensors and artificial intelligence to assist the human pilot when he is overburdened or stressed.
The fighter can fly on autopilot and, if necessary, fire hypersonic missiles.
Developing such a complex aircraft is very expensive – building the F35 jet is the most expensive project ever undertaken by the Pentagon in the US – so the UK is looking for partners.
Italy was already on board with this plan. The inclusion of Japan is a step forward at a time when Britain is tightening ties with allies in the Indo-Pacific region and is worried about an aggressive China.
Other countries may still join the program. France, Germany and Spain are already working together on their own program – as is the US.
British BAE Systems, Japanese Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Italian Leonardo will participate in the Tempest’s development. Mitsubishi’s FX Fighter project has a lot in common with the Tempest.
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The concept art shows what the fighter will look like
A fighter plane that ‘reads the pilot’s mind’
One of the most anticipated features of the new fighter jet is an artificial intelligence (AI) tool that helps the pilot “read your mind”.
Sensors in the pilot’s helmet monitor brain signals and other medical data. Thus, in subsequent flights, the AI will accumulate a large database of biometric and psychometric information.
This library of unique pilot characteristics allows the internal AI to step in and assist if sensors indicate the need for assistance. For example, the AI can take over if the pilot loses consciousness due to high gravity.
BAE Systems has said that a demonstration jet will be ready at its factory in the United Kingdom by 2027 and will be able to test some of these technologies.
Tempest Fighters will be the debut of a variety of new digital technologies – across 60 different projects.
The image of the Tempest aircraft has changed since the first photos were released in 2018. Among other things, its weight has been reduced and its outline has become slimmer.
When it finally enters service, the Tempest will travel with unmanned combat drones described as ‘helpers’.
Such developments require entirely new monitoring and control systems to be built from the ground up.
“We have to deal with the pace of change in technology,” says John Stocker, director of business development for the consortium responsible for Tempest.
“In the past, security spending often drove progress, and business technology then caught up with everything else. Now, business technology often drives improvement.”
Stalker envisions creating a new fighter with systems that can be updated as easily as downloading an app to a smartphone.
Meanwhile, most of Jet’s production remains automated. Robots on the production line share data with suppliers so that parts can be shipped faster.
The collaboration between BAE Systems, Leonardo and Mitsubishi is an innovation for European aerospace companies and is only made possible by technology. Greater collaboration with Japan is possible as projects are done in a digital environment.
“In a digital environment you can do these things much faster, collaboration is much easier. We’re not carrying folders between Tokyo and Wharton (UK),” jokes Stocker.
A team of translators and staff fluent in English and Japanese maintain communication with Mitsubishi’s FX Fighter team.
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The first pictures of the project, in 2018, showed a different look
John Healy, the defense secretary of the opposition Labor party, said his party supported the partnership but sounded a note of caution.
“Ministers need to clarify how this fits into the RAF’s wider plans for the future, including avoiding delays in training jet pilots,” he said.
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