BAE Systems Taranis

Last updated

Taranis
BAE Systems Taranis art.jpg
Artist impression on the BAE Taranis
General information
TypeAutonomous UCAV
Manufacturer BAE Systems Military Air & Information
StatusIn development
Primary userUnited Kingdom
Number built1
History
Manufactured2010-present
First flight10 August 2013

The BAE Systems Taranis is a British demonstrator programme for unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) technology, under development primarily by the defence contractor BAE Systems Military Air & Information. The aircraft, which is named after the Celtic god of thunder Taranis, first flew in 2013. [1] [2] An unmanned warplane, the Taranis is designed to fly intercontinental missions, and would carry a variety of weapons, enabling it to attack both aerial and ground targets. It uses stealth technology, giving it a low radar profile, and is controllable via satellite link from anywhere on Earth. [3]

Contents

Background

The development of UAVs was a key part of the UK's Defence Industrial Strategy, which was announced in December 2005, and specified the need for the UK to maintain its "sovereign" aircraft and UAV/UCAV construction skills. [4] [5] The Strategic Unmanned Air Vehicles (Experiment) Integrated Project Team, or SUAV(E) IPT, was given responsibility for auditing and overseeing the Taranis project. [6]

Design and development

The Taranis project is led by BAE Systems, and also involves Rolls-Royce, GE Aviation Systems, QinetiQ and the Ministry of Defence (MoD). [4] As the prime contractor, BAE Systems is responsible for the overall programme, and also for many of the component technologies, including stealth technology, systems integration and system control infrastructure. [7] [ unreliable source? ] BAE Systems and QinetiQ collaborated on all aspects relating to the autonomy of the system.

GE Aviation Systems is responsible for providing Taranis' fuel-gauging and electrical power systems. [7] having a 5% workshare in the project, while the Integrated Systems Technologies (Insyte) subsidiary of BAE Systems is providing C4ISTAR support. [7]

At the project's inception, BAE Systems stated that "Taranis will make use of at least 10 years of research and development into low observables, systems integration, control infrastructure and full autonomy. It follows the completion of risk-reduction activities to ensure the mix of technologies, materials and systems used are robust enough for the 'next logical step'." [4] These "risk-reduction activities" included several earlier BAE stealth aircraft and UAV programmes, such as Replica, Nightjar I, Nightjar II, Kestrel, Corax, Raven and HERTI.

Prototype

A video of the Taranis prototype's test flight on 10 August 2013.

The production began for the Taranis prototype in September 2007, and assembly began in February 2008. [8] On 9 January 2009, the Ministry of Defence denied that the Taranis had been flying near the site of a damaged wind turbine, after local people claimed to have seen a UFO. [9]

The prototype, which had an initial development cost of £143 million, was unveiled by BAE Systems at Warton Aerodrome, Lancashire, on 12 July 2010. [10] [11] Ground tests of the prototype began in 2010. [12] The aircraft's first flight was later delayed to 2012, [13] then delayed further and finally took place on 10 August 2013. [14]

The prototype has a maximum takeoff weight (MTOW) of about 8,000 kg (18,000 lb), and is of a similar size to the BAE Hawk training jet. It has two internal weapons bays, [15] and is intended to incorporate "full autonomy", allowing it to operate without human control for a large part of its mission. [16]

Flight testing

On 25 October 2013, the Ministry of Defence revealed that initial flight tests had already taken place. Ground tests were conducted in 2010 and flight trials occurred in 2013. The MoD did not officially comment on the Taranis until the initial trials programme had been completed. [2]

On 5 February 2014, BAE revealed information on the Taranis' flight tests. The UCAV's first flight occurred on 10 August 2013 at Woomera Test Range in South Australia. This flight lasted for approximately 15 minutes. A second sortie was launched on 17 August, and subsequent flights surpassed expectations for the airframe, flying at various speeds and heights for as long as one hour. [17] By 2014, the Taranis' development costs had reached £185 million, compared to £140 million as originally projected. The Taranis is planned to be operational "post 2030" and used in concert with manned aircraft. [17]

As of 2016 BAE Systems and the MoD were in discussions about a fourth series of flight tests. [18]

Follow-on development

Under the terms of an Anglo-French development contract announced in 2014, parts from the Taranis would have been combined with the Dassault nEUROn in a joint European UCAV, the Future Combat Air System. [19]

Specifications

Data from Airforce-Technology.com [7]

General characteristics

Armament

See also

Similar aircraft

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Unmanned combat aerial vehicle</span> Unmanned aerial vehicle that is usually armed

An unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV), also known as a combat drone, fighter drone or battlefield UAV, is an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that is used for intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition, and reconnaissance and carries aircraft ordnance such as missiles, anti-tank guided missiles (ATGMs), and/or bombs in hardpoints for drone strikes. These drones are usually under real-time human control, with varying levels of autonomy. UCAVs are used for reconnaissance, attacking targets and returning to base; unlike kamikaze drones which are only made to explode on impact, or surveillance drones which are only for gathering intelligence.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boeing X-45</span> Experimental unmanned military aircraft

The Boeing X-45 unmanned combat air vehicle is a concept demonstrator for a "next generation" of completely autonomous military aircraft, developed by Boeing's Phantom Works. Manufactured by Boeing Integrated Defense Systems, the X-45 was a part of DARPA's J-UCAS project.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dassault nEUROn</span> Experimental unmanned combat aerial vehicle

The Dassault nEUROn is an experimental unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) being developed with international cooperation, led by the French company Dassault Aviation. Countries involved in this project include France, Greece, Italy, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland. The design goal is to create a stealthy, autonomous UAV that can function in medium-to-high threat combat zones.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">BAE Systems Corax</span> British experimental unmanned aerial vehicle

The Corax, also known as Raven, is a prototype unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) for the British Armed Forces being developed by BAE Systems Military Air & Information.

Replica was a design study for an envisioned military aircraft with stealth capabilities, developed by British defence manufacturer BAE Systems. It was ultimately not pursued as the British government chose to proceed with involvement in the American Joint Strike Fighter programme instead, which ultimately led to the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northrop Grumman X-47B</span> Unmanned combat air vehicle demonstrator built by Northrop Grumman

The Northrop Grumman X-47B is a demonstration unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) designed for aircraft carrier-based operations. Developed by the American defense technology company Northrop Grumman, the X-47 project began as part of DARPA's J-UCAS program, and subsequently became part of the United States Navy's Unmanned Combat Air System Demonstration (UCAS-D) program. The X-47B is a tailless jet-powered blended-wing-body aircraft capable of semi-autonomous operation and aerial refueling.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">EADS Barracuda</span> European Unmanned Aerial Vehicle

The EADS Barracuda was a jet powered unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), EADS, used for the role of aerial reconnaissance and also combat. The aircraft was a joint venture between Germany and Spain.

The Dassault LOGIDUC – sometimes spelled Logiduc in French and LogiDuc in English – was an autonomous industrial program launched in 1999 by the French aircraft manufacturer Dassault Aviation in view to develop its UAV design capacities. This French programme eventually led to the creation of the Dassault-Sagem Tactical UAV company and to the European "combat drone" project nEUROn.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">BAE Systems HERTI</span> Type of aircraft

The BAE Systems HERTI is an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) developed by the British company BAE Systems. HERTI stands for "High Endurance Rapid Technology Insertion" and was developed in Warton, United Kingdom. The HERTI airframe is based on the J-6 Fregata motor glider designed by Jaroslaw Janowski of J&AS Aero Design in Poland. Its first flight was in December 2004 at the Australian Woomera test range where much of the test flight programme has been undertaken. HERTI was also the first UAV to fly in the UK with the flight being certified by the Civil Aviation Authority.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">BAE Systems Mantis</span> Type of aircraft

The BAE Systems Mantis Unmanned Autonomous System Advanced Concept Technology Demonstrator is a British demonstrator programme for Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle (UCAV) technology. The Mantis is a twin-engine, turboprop-powered UCAV with a wingspan of approximately 22 m, broadly comparable to the MQ-9 Reaper. Other partners involved in Phase 1 of the Mantis programme include the Ministry of Defence, Rolls-Royce, QinetiQ, GE Aviation, L-3 Wescam, Meggitt and Lola.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">DRDO Rustom</span> Type of aircraft

The DRDO Rustom is a family of medium-altitude long-endurance (MALE) unmanned air vehicle (UAV) being developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) for the three services, Indian Army, Indian Navy and the Indian Air Force, of the Indian Armed Forces. Rustom is derived from the NAL's LCRA developed by a team under the leadership of late Professor Rustom Damania in the 1980s. The UAV will have structural changes and a new engine.

The Mikoyan Skat is a concept of a stealth unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) being developed by Mikoyan for the Russian Ministry of Defence since 2005.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boeing Phantom Ray</span> Stealth unmanned combat air vehicle

The Boeing Phantom Ray is an American demonstration stealth unmanned combat air vehicle (UCAV) developed by Boeing. The autonomous Phantom Ray is a flying wing around the size of a conventional fighter jet, and first flew in April 2011. It will conduct a program of test flights involving surveillance, ground attack and autonomous aerial refueling missions. The developers say it can carry 4,500 pounds of payload.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">DRDO Ghatak</span> Type of aircraft

Ghatak (pronounced: gʰɑːt̪ək; lit. 'Deadly' in Hindi), initially designated as Indian Unmanned Strike Air Vehicle (IUSAV), is an autonomous jet powered stealthy unmanned combat air vehicle (UCAV), being developed by Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE) of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) for the Indian Air Force. The design work on the UCAV is to be carried out by Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA). Autonomous Unmanned Research Aircraft (AURA) was a tentative name for the UCAV. Details of the project are classified.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">BAE Systems Demon</span> Experimental unmanned aerial vehicle

The Demon is an experimental unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) developed and manufactured by British defence conglomerate BAE Systems. It has been referred to as being the world's first "flapless" aircraft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">HESA Sofreh Mahi</span> Iranian unmanned combat aerial vehicle

Sofreh Mâhi is an Iranian stealth UCAV under development. Little is known about the drone but scaled down mock-ups shown during Iranian Army Day 2010 parade show that it has a flat diamond shape body with twin vertical stabilizers. First reference to the drone was given by Lieutenant Commander of the Iranian Air Force General Aziz Nasirzadeh who reported that the first tests of the drone were finished.

The Future Offensive Air System was a study to replace the Royal Air Force's strike capability, at the time provided by the Tornado GR4. Initial operational capability was expected around 2017. The FOAS was cancelled in June 2005 and was replaced by the Deep and Persistent Offensive Capability (DPOC) requirement, which was itself cancelled in the 2010 Strategic Defence and Security Review.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sukhoi S-70 Okhotnik-B</span> Russian stealth UAV prototype

The Sukhoi S-70 Okhotnik-B, also referred to as Hunter-B, is a Russian heavy unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) that was being developed during the 2010s by Sukhoi and Russian Aircraft Corporation MiG. Several prototypes underwent flight testing in 2019–2023 and, as of January 2024, it was projected that production could begin as early as the second half of 2024.

The HAL Combat Air Teaming System (CATS) is an Indian unmanned and manned combat aircraft air teaming system being developed by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). The system will consist of a manned fighter aircraft acting as "mothership" of the system and a set of swarming UAVs and UCAVs governed by the mothership aircraft. A twin-seated HAL Tejas is likely to be the mothership aircraft. Various other sub components of the system are currently under development and will be jointly produced by HAL, National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL), Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Newspace Research & Technologies.

References

  1. ↑ Allison, George (5 February 2014). "Taranis stealth drone test flights successful". UK Defence Journal. Retrieved 6 February 2014.
  2. 1 2 "Unmanned Taranis has flown, MoD reveals". Flightglobal.com. 25 October 2013. Retrieved 10 November 2014.
  3. ↑ Emery, Daniel (12 July 2010). "MoD lifts lid on unmanned combat plane prototype". BBC News. Archived from the original on 12 July 2010. Retrieved 12 July 2010.
  4. 1 2 3 "BAE Systems to lead £124 million UAV technology demonstrator programme" (Press release). BAE Systems plc. 7 December 2006. Archived from the original on 13 June 2007. Retrieved 9 December 2006.
  5. ↑ "MoD To Invest in UAV Technology". MoD Oracle. NSI (Holdings) Ltd. 7 December 2006. Archived from the original on 29 January 2013. Retrieved 9 December 2006.
  6. ↑ "Strategic Unmanned Air Vehicles (Experiment) Integrated Project Team". Ministry of Defence. 2009. Archived from the original on 15 May 2009. Retrieved 13 July 2010.
  7. 1 2 3 4 "Taranis Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle (UCAV) Demonstrator, United Kingdom". Airforce Technology.com. 13 July 2010. Archived from the original on 20 June 2010. Retrieved 13 July 2010.
  8. ↑ "Assembly Starts of Taranis Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle". BAE. 2008. Retrieved 6 February 2013.
  9. ↑ "Telegraph: UFO turbine mystery theories in full". The Daily Telegraph. London. 9 January 2009. Archived from the original on 17 January 2009. Retrieved 9 January 2009.
  10. ↑ "Taranis unmanned stealth aircraft unveiled in Warton". BBC. 12 July 2010. Retrieved 11 November 2014.
  11. ↑ "Taranis: The £143m Fighter Jet of the Future". Ministry of Defence. 2010. Archived from the original on 15 July 2010. Retrieved 13 July 2010.
  12. ↑ "Taranis". BAE Systems. Retrieved 3 June 2012.
  13. ↑ "Europe's industry cuts jobs" [ dead link ]. Defense News. 2 October 2011. Retrieved 22 October 2011.
  14. ↑ "Taranis test flights to inform design of future combat aircraft". The Engineer . 5 February 2014. Retrieved 6 February 2014.
  15. ↑ "BAE Systems Taranis". UAVGlobal.
  16. ↑ Marks, Paul (12 July 2010). "Warning sounded over British dogfighting drone". New Scientist. Archived from the original on 14 July 2010. Retrieved 12 July 2010.
  17. 1 2 "VIDEO: UK ends silence on Taranis testing". Flightglobal.com. 5 February 2014. Retrieved 11 November 2014.
  18. ↑ Ripley, Tim (14 June 2016). "More flights of UK's Taranis UCAV possible". www.janes.com. IHS Jane's Defence Weekly. Retrieved 18 December 2016.
  19. ↑ "Award of £120M Anglo-French Defence Co-Operation Contract". Defense-Aerospace.com. 5 November 2014. Retrieved 11 November 2014.
  20. ↑ "Taranis – looking to the future". DefenceIndustryDaily.com. Retrieved 16 July 2014.
  21. ↑ "Image of Taranis in flight". BBC. 2013. Retrieved 10 November 2014.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.