AD ASTRA – PREPARING FOR THE FUTURE
The future of Combat Air Air Commodore Dan Storr, Head of the Ministry of Defence’s Combat Air Acquisition Programme, offers an update on the work to ensure that the UK remains at the forefront of Combat Air System development
L Options for an eventual replacement for the Typhoon fast jet are being worked through by the Combat Air Acquisition Programme (PHOTO: CROWN COPYRIGHT/MOD)
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aunched two years ago, the UK Combat Air Strategy recognised that Combat Air is one of a few capabilities where sovereignty really matters. It provides us with an ability to protect and use the complex technologies that give us an advantage over our adversaries. A globally competitive UK Combat Air sector also helps ensure that our equipment programmes and capabilities are both affordable and at the leading edge of technology. It helps sustain an effective and productive sector, in which over 18,000 highly skilled people are directly employed, and are supported by an additional 28,000 in the wider supply chain. The sector supports strong Government finances which, in turn, help secure
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the budgetary settlement that the Ministry of Defence (MOD) needs to maintain the required capabilities. If lost, the Combat Air sector would be incredibly difficult and costly to regain. Informed by the need to replace Typhoon, the Combat Air Strategy recognised that the operating environment is getting more challenging and that new capabilities are required to stay ahead of the threat. Consequently, the Combat Air Strategy launched the Combat Air Acquisition Programme to define and deliver the capabilities required when Typhoon leaves service. Analysis clearly demonstrates that a Combat Air System will be required for Control of the Air, and some intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) and attack functions. Ground-based air defences, space-based sensors and long-range weapons all have a part to play, but are not able to perform the roles we need by themselves. Therefore, the Combat Air Acquisition Programme aims to deliver a Future Combat Air System (FCAS) whose composition continues to be defined by comparing different combinations of manned aircraft and a variety of unmanned air vehicles operating in concert. The MOD is working with industry and international partners to ensure that we have a collaborative option, which the UK terms Tempest, to deliver this FCAS. While confidence in autonomous systems and artificial intelligence is growing, the complexity of some dynamic tasks – aspects of Control of the Air, in particular – is likely to require a manned platform
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