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for breaking news stories. E-mail the news
team at [email protected]Comment
he UK has been in talks with
Sweden as it sets about scheming
its next-generation warplane – a
Typhoon successor required for service
around 2040. Revealed as this magazine
was going to press, the early discussions
are centred on possible collaboration on a
new fighter. If it proceeds, the programme
could see BAE Systems and Saab working
together to engineer a rival to the Franco-
German Future Combat Air System (FCAS).
At this stage, it’s unclear if either of these
projects will involve a manned or unmanned
aircraft. However, the Franco-German effort
has made more progress: on June 19 the
German defence minister, Ursula von der
Leyen, and her French counterpart, Florence
Parly, signed a declaration of intent to provide
a formal framework for the FCAS. Until now,
there’s been no signal that either Paris or
Berlin is eager to include the UK in their sixth-
generation fighter plans – at least, not at this
early stage. (It’s worth bearing in mind that the
Franco-German fighter project is different to the
Anglo-French FCAS, which seeks to develop
an unmanned combat air vehicle, and brings
together Dassault Aviation and BAE Systems).
This summer the UK will unveil its new
Combat Air Strategy (CAS) which should
provide more details about how the Royal
Air Force will replace the Typhoon and the
future of the country’s industrial ‘combat
air’ expertise. Working with Saab could be
a smart move – the company has a track
record of delivering innovative, affordable
combat aircraft programmes on time.
Amid the challenges of the UK’s stated plan
to leave the EU, the MOD has repeatedly
said it aims to retain its combat air expertise,
of which BAE Systems is the current flag-
bearer. But developing a new warplane is hard
enough, even when national resources are
pooled and risks shared, and a collaborative
effort might be the only realistic option.As well as Sweden, the UK has already signed
up to work with Turkey on its first indigenous
jet fighter. Japan, meanwhile, has also forged
military-industrial links with the UK, but the
future of its indigenous new-generation fighter
programme – known as F-3 – is less clear.
The UK government says it plans to launch
a next-generation fighter programme by 2020
which would require a firm manufacturing
contract by that date. To date, there’s been
no firm cabinet approval of this project. But
if the UK really is serious about building
a new fighter – manned or otherwise –
further agreements to work with Sweden
or Turkey could be on the horizon.Sweden and UK
talk future
fighters
Thomas Newdick
Email at:
[email protected]T
FREE NEXT MONTH
Aircraft of the Royal Air Force posterAbove: Saab’s Gripen E prototype 39-8 conducts a test flight. BAE has worked closely with the Swedish manufacturer in the past, and recent developments
suggest Saab is in a strong position to collaborate on the UK’s future combat aircraft programme. Saab/Stefan Kalm
http://www.airforcesmonthly.com #365 AUGUST 2018 // 3