Taranis: The £143million unmanned stealth jet that will hit targets in another continent
Monday, July 12th, 2010 | 
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Posted by John under: Knowledge Increased
Taranis, the prototype of an unmanned combat aircraft of the future, which was unveiled today
Looming ominously like a space ship from Star Wars, this is the future of unmanned flight.
Knowledge Increased
“And the LORD said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do.â€
—Genesis 11:6
Defence firm BAE Systems today officially unveiled its first ever high-tech unmanned stealth jet.
The Taranis, named after the Celtic god of thunder, is about the same size as a Hawk jet and is equipped with stealth equipment and an ‘autonomous’ artificial intelligence system.
The plane will test the possibility of developing the first ever autonomous stealthy Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle (UCAV) that would ultimately be capable of precisely striking targets at long range, even in another continent.
The trial aircraft cost £143 million pounds to construct and spearheads BAE’s drive to convince the Ministry of Defence to invest in the next generation of unmanned aircraft.
The plane began development in December 2006, and is intended to prove the UK’s ability to produce a stealthy UAV.
Taranis will be stealthy, fast, able to carry out use a number of on-board weapons systems and be able to defend itself against manned and other unmanned enemy aircraft
Any future need hinges on the outcome of the Strategic Defence and Security Review, which will conclude around October.
Speaking at the unveiling ceremony at BAE Systems in Warton, Lancashire, Minister for International Security Strategy Gerald Howarth said: ‘Taranis is a truly trailblazing project.
‘The first of its kind in the UK, it reflects the best of our nation’s advanced design and technology skills and is a leading programme on the global stage.’
Taranis is an informal partnership of the UK MoD and industry British engineering firms including BAE Systems, Rolls Royce, QinetiQ and GE Aviation.
Rolls-Royce will focus on the next generation propulsion system for the Taranis demonstrator.
Speaking on behalf of the industry team, Nigel Whitehead, Group managing director of BAE Systems’ Programmes & Support business, said: ‘Taranis has been three and a half years in the making and is the product of more than a million man-hours.
‘It represents a significant step forward in this country’s fast-jet capability. This technology is key to sustaining a strong industrial base and to maintain the UK’s leading position as a centre for engineering excellence and innovation.”
The Taranis prototype will provide the MOD with knowledge on the technical and manufacturing challenges and the potential capabilities of Unmanned Combat Air Systems.
Test flights for the Taranis plane are due to start in 2011.
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Ernest Gregoire says Comment posted on July 12th, 2010
It looks like the Anti-Christ will have his own Stealth-Fighter-Bomber!
Shawn Corbin says Comment posted on July 19th, 2010
That thing just looks inherently evil and ominous!
Tom Chapman says Comment posted on July 19th, 2010
This technology is the wave of the future for the military who have been constantly working to reduce combat loses in our military. As an ex-Army pilot I watched the initial development of the first UAV’s that have now evolved to become the Taranis. In the days ahead pilot will sit in a comfortable chair thousands of miles from the area of conflict and “fly” their missions against the enemy forces. If a plane is shot down only the aircraft will be lost. Israel is one of the international leaders in this field of UAV’s and has recently developed a new light UAV bomber and also a helicopter UAV.