Airbus pitches new trainer jet for Spain, but with eyes for Europe
The UK’s future combat air programme can generate billions for the UK economy
press release
For the first time, preliminary data has revealed the economic importance of the UK’s future combat air programme, Tempest - predicting it will support an average of 20,000 jobs every year from 2026 to 2050.1
The Tempest programme is being delivered by Team Tempest, a UK technology and defence partnership formed by BAE Systems, Leonardo UK, MBDA, Rolls-Royce and the RAF, and involving hundreds of high-tech companies, SMEs and academia across the UK. It is one of the UK’s most ambitious technological endeavours, designed to deliver a highly advanced, adaptable and affordable military combat air system which will play a key role in the nation’s defence and security.
Along with meeting a major military requirement, the programme is expected to deliver significant benefits to the UK over its full lifetime. It will preserve sovereign capability whilst investing in highly skilled jobs, with a specific focus on young people, developing technology and infrastructure, and will support the wider economy and long-term prosperity of the UK.
The data released today represents the preliminary findings of an independent analysis by PwC on the economic contribution at the initial stages of the multi-decade Tempest programme, covering the period up to 2050. A full report will be available by the end of the year.
The preliminary findings reveal:
The Tempest programme will contribute at least £25.3bn2 to the UK economy in the first 30 years alone. This figure excludes the significant impact of R&D spillover3 and the important role Tempest plays in securing the critical UK combat air industrial sector and its associated economic benefits.
For every £100 of direct value added generated by the Tempest programme partners, £220 of GVA 4 (direct, indirect and induced) is estimated to be created across the UK economy.
The programme is forecast to support an average of circa 20,000 jobs every year between 2026 and 2050. For every 100 workers employed directly by the Tempest programme partners, a further 270 are estimated to be employed across the UK economy (direct, indirect and induced).
This initial analysis looks at the period of programme development, production, entry into service and early support, but does not include the full potential of export opportunities, R&D investment or the value of the programme beyond 2050.
Michael Christie, Director, Combat Air Acquisition Programme, BAE Systems commented:
“Tempest is an exciting and ambitious multi-decade programme that will help to preserve our national security whilst at the same time driving significant economic benefits for the UK. The initial analysis revealed today demonstrates that Tempest is critical to ensuring the UK can sustain its world-leading Combat Air Sector, preserving the sovereign capability that is essential to retaining military freedom of action for the UK.”
Tempest is a beacon to attract engineers and technicians and a place for young people to build their careers. There are currently 1,800 people employed across UK industry and the MOD, a number that is set to increase to 2,500 next year.
ADS Chief Executive Paul Everitt said:
“The Tempest programme is essential for our national security and future prosperity. The high value design and ground breaking engineering skills required for success will create a new generation of talent to drive UK industry.
“Defence programmes like Tempest offer an invaluable opportunity to secure a recovery from the current COVID-19 crisis. It will embed high-value design and manufacturing skills in the UK for decades to come, sustain thousands of high paying jobs and give apprentices the opportunity to build their career in an iconic programme with massive export potential.”
BAE Systems, on behalf of Team Tempest partners, commissioned PwC to carry out an independent analysis of the economic impact of the Tempest programme. The full report is due for publication before the end of the year.
Today’s announcements illustrate the wider economic, skills and technology benefit to the UK. In July seven further companies signed agreements to progress opportunities to work on future combat air concepts and underpinning technologies across Team Tempest – including Bombardier Belfast, Collins Aerospace in the UK, GE Aviation UK, GKN Aerospace, Martin-Baker, QinetiQ, and Thales UK.
Ref: 101/2020
1The draft report referenced was prepared only for BAE Systems (Operations) Limited and solely for the purpose and on the terms agreed with BAE Systems (Operations) Limited. PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP accepts no liability (including for negligence) to anyone else in connection with the draft report. Any content that is referenced from the draft report is subject to change between now and the issue of the final version to BAE Systems (Operations) Limited.
2 Figures presented in NPV (net present value) terms in 2019 basis. The estimates have been discounted by the social time preference rate of 3.5% as recommended in HM Treasury’s Green Book.
3 R&D Spillover: A positive consequence of research and development applied to sectors beyond which it was developed for, which has benefits to the wider economy.
4 Figures presented in GVA (gross value added). GVA is a measure in economics of the value of goods and services produced in an area, industry or sector of an economy. Read more...
Futuristic radar for the UK’s future combat aircraft will capture the equivalent of a ‘city’s worth of data’ in a second
British engineers have today revealed some of the latest
concepts under development for the Royal Air Force’s (RAF) next
generation combat air system.
The pioneering technology is being delivered by Team Tempest, a UK
technology and defence partnership formed by BAE Systems, Leonardo,
MBDA, Rolls-Royce and the RAF, and involving hundreds of high-tech
companies, SMEs and academia across the UK.
Tempest is one of the UK’s most ambitious technological endeavours
and designed to deliver a highly advanced, adaptable combat air system
to come into service from the mid-2030s. This next generation combat
aircraft, which forms part of a wider combat air system, will exploit
new technologies as they evolve to respond to the changing nature of the
battlespace, addressing increasingly high-tech and complex threats and
conflict.
Leonardo UK
Experts from the Team Tempest electronics lead, Leonardo UK, are
developing new radar technology capable of providing over 10,000 times
more data than existing systems. The new sensor, called the
‘Multi-Function Radio Frequency System’, will collect and process
unprecedented amounts of data on the battlespace – equivalent to the
internet traffic of a large city such as Edinburgh, every second. This
huge volume of information, processed on-board, will give Tempest a
battle winning edge in combat situations, with the ability to locate and
target enemies well before they are targeted themselves.
The brand new sensor will provide a wide range of abilities beyond
traditional radar, with all-digital technology providing the operator
with an exceptionally clear view of the battlespace and of potential
targets. Leonardo has already built complete sub-systems using the new
technology and successfully tested them at the company’s site in
Edinburgh with a path to airborne demonstrations in the coming years.
BAE Systems
Separately, engineers at BAE Systems have begun flight testing
cutting-edge concepts for Tempest’s ‘wearable cockpit’ technologies,
designed to provide pilots in the cockpit or operators on the ground
with split-second advantage. The concept sees the physical controls seen
in current aircraft cockpits replaced with Augmented and Virtual
Reality displays projected directly inside the visor of a helmet, which
can be instantly configured to suit any mission. Concepts including
human-autonomy teaming are also being developed, where a ‘virtual
co-pilot’ could take on some of the pilot’s responsibilities. The
virtual co-pilot concept is still being developed, but could for
example, take the form of an ‘avatar’ built into the cockpit to interact
with the pilot.
BAE Systems has also been trialing ‘psycho-physiological’
technologies, including eye-tracking, to study the operator’s physical
and cognitive processes to better understand increasing exertion,
stress, workload and fatigue. BAE Systems test pilots are now trialling
these psycho-physiological technologies in controlled test flight
conditions in a Typhoon aircraft. The results of the trials will inform
further development to better understand a pilot’s cognitive behaviour
and processes relating to brain activity, psychological rhythms and eye
movement to inform further development.
MBDA UK
MBDA UK has also embedded one of its Human Factors engineers within
this wearable cockpit team, ensuring early introduction of weapons
concepts that exploit these future technologies. This close partnership
approach between MBDA UK and BAE Systems will allow the companies to
help to collaborate at an early stage of the programme, shaping how
weapons systems information and operation is optimised for the pilot.
Rolls-Royce
At the same time, Rolls-Royce engineers have been developing
advanced combustion system technology as part of the company’s power and
propulsion work. The combustion system is where fuel is introduced and
burned to release energy into the gas stream. A next generation system
will need to be hotter than any previous platform, increasing the
efficiency of the engine and meaning it can go further, faster, or
produce less carbon dioxide. Rolls-Royce has been exploring advanced
composite materials and additive manufacturing as part of this work,
producing lightweight, more power-dense components capable of operating
at these higher temperatures.
Read more...
[Iberia] Vehículos eléctricos, dirigidos por control remoto para mover los aviones de Iberia en Madrid y Barcelona
nota de prensa
- Estos silenciosos vehículos permiten reducir en 23.000 kilos las emisiones de CO2 al año por unidad, además de incrementar la seguridad de la operación en rampa y mejorar la puntualidad.
- A finales de este mes, Iberia Airport Services contará ya con ocho unidades de estos “green pushback” en Madrid y El Prat
- Iberia Mantenimiento también los utiliza ya en los hangares de La Muñoza y en el de Barcelona
A pesar del impacto de la crisis del COVID en todo el sector aéreo, Iberia, incluyendo sus negocios de handling y mantenimiento, sigue apostando por la innovación y la sostenibilidad, y vuelve a ser pionera con la incorporación de la última tecnología.
Iberia Airport Services está incorporando en los aeropuertos de Madrid y Barcelona vehículos denominados “Green Pushback”, un innovador tractor de aviones eléctrico que se dirige por control remoto y se utiliza para remolcar el avión hacia atrás antes de la salida de cada vuelo.
A finales de octubre Iberia Airport Services dispondrá de ocho unidades de estos equipos, de los más avanzados y sostenibles del mercado: además de ser muy silenciosos, cada vehículo permitirá reducir en 23.000 kilos las emisiones de CO2, incrementar la seguridad operacional con un guiado más preciso y, al mismo tiempo, mejorar la puntualidad y ofrecer un mejor servicio a los clientes de Iberia Airport Services en los aeropuertos de Madrid y Barcelona.
“Los green push back son silenciosos y permiten reducir las emisiones de C02 en 23.000 kilos por vehículo y año”
Estos vehículos tienen una gran autonomía y su batería de 80V permite carretear hasta 28 aviones sin necesidad de recarga. El modelo que ha incorporado Iberia Airport Services (Mototok Spacer 8600) permite remolcar aviones de fuselaje estrecho como los de la familia A319, A320 y A321 con los que Iberia y Vueling realizan todos sus vuelos de corto y medio radio.
Dentro de su proyecto Go Up! para transformar el negocio de handling, Iberia Airport Services está apostando por soluciones innovadoras y sostenibles. En los últimos cuatro años, ha renovado más del 80 por ciento de su flota motorizada, incorporado energías alternativas y sustiyendo por modelos eléctricos hasta un 40 por ciento de sus vehículos en toda la red de aeropuertos españoles que ofrecen esta posibilidad.
Tractores eléctricos también en los hangares
Iberia Mantenimiento ha adoptado también esta misma tecnología para el carreteo de aviones a los hangares de Madrid y Barcelona cuando hay que realizarles tareas de revisión y reparación.
Iberia Mantenimiento dispone de otras dos unidades de estos vehículos -uno en el aeropuerto de Madrid y otro en El Prat-, también para remolcar aviones de fuselaje estrecho.
Read more...
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