produce a full-scale aircraft with this
technology and incorporating it into an
aircraft with a stealthy design.BAE Kingfisher
In Australia, BAE engineers have been
trialling an Intelligent Landing System
for UAVs to land themselves. Kingfisher is
a small UAV constructed for the specific
purpose of autonomously locating
suitable landing strips in an emergency
and landing without relying on GPS,
remote piloting, special ground
equipment, earlier survey of the site or
other external systems. With such
systems, UAVs can quickly incorporate
other landing sites. The system brings
the UAV in on a normal approach so it
can share the airstrip with other, normal
traffic.BAE Taranis
In July 2010 BAE unveiled its low-
observable UCAV technology
demonstrator, Taranis to the aviation
media at Warton. Taranis is a UK-only
technology demonstrator, with BAE
Systems heading a joint MoD/industry
team. It is jointly funded by BAE and the
MoD. Taranis is approximately the same
size as the Hawk trainer and is also
powered by an Adour 951 engine, but
there the similarity ends. Most of the
systems and structure were designed by
BAE but some parts, for example the
undercarriage, from the Saab Gripen are
off-the-shelf items.
Taranis underwent a long period of
ground testing before transport to
Woomera. Painted grey with low-
visibility RAF roundels and serialled
ZZ250, its 15-minute maiden flight took130 BAe 146: the last British Airliner
place on 13 August 2013. Three
successful flight test phases have taken
place so far with the third of these
ending in autumn 2015. BAE hopes a
fourth set of flight trials may take place
and Taranis is being maintained in
flight-ready condition at Warton.
BAE states that Taranis “incorporates
world-leading stealth technologies,
propulsion systems, all of which have
direct relevance to the next-generation
of military aerospace capabilities. Taranis
was designed to demonstrate our ability
to create a system capable of
undertaking sustained surveillance,
marking targets, gathering intel,
deterring adversaries and carrying out
strikes in hostile territory”. BAE indicated
that more than 1.5m man-hours had
been invested in the Taranis
programme. It is a highly sensitiveprogramme and little has been revealed
about it, for example, no information
has been given about the UAV’s
performance and some aspects of the
design remain classified. Other firms
contributing to Taranis include
Rolls-Royce, Claverham, Cobham and
QintetiQ.
While Taranis is a UK-only
programme, the development of a UCAV
by a joint BAE/Dassault programme for a
FCAS (Future Combat Air System) is
covered by the 2014 Anglo-French
strategic defence agreement. This is
intended to lead in 2025 to operationally
representative demonstrators and an
operational vehicle after 2030 with a 50ft
wingspan and two internal weapons
bays. This is the most advanced
programme of its kind in Europe and has
a joint investment budget of €2bn. ■ Another photo of
Taranis ZZ250 with
its under-carriage
retracted showing
its low-observable
profile. (BAE Systems) A great lineage -
the shape of a
Spitfire Mk IX, with
Typhoon FGR4
ZK358 and Taranis
ZZ250 at Warton.
(BAE Systems)