The UK's newest fighter jet is larger than most, which comes with bigger fuel tanks, a longer range, and the capability to carry larger payloads of explosive warheads, British outlet The Telegraph reported on Saturday.
The "Tempest," as it has been named, is a joint project between the UK, Italy, and Japan, and is expected to come into service for the UK's Royal Air Force by 2035 under the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP), The Telegraph noted.
The Tempest will be approximately 19 meters in length. By comparison, the Eurofighter Typhoon, which the Tempest will replace, is 15.96 meters long, and the US's F-35B is 15.6 meters long.
This extra size allows for the internal storage of weapons, which would enable a smoother exterior and make it harder to detect with radar.
Jonny Moreton, a retired RAF air commodore, currently employed by British defense manufacturer BAE Systems, who is showing a full-scale mock-up of the Tempest as a warehouse, told The Telegraph that "This won’t be the final shape and size, but, in terms of scale, it’s about the same. Whatever GCAP as a core platform is going to be ... she is going to be big."
This suggests that the Tempest is being designed for long-haul missions. Experts cited by The Telegraph state that this means it could take off from a British airfield, fly undetected to Russia, destroy Russian air defenses, and return to the UK in the event of NATO entering a war with Russia.
It would also allow Japanese pilots to conduct operations deep into China in any future Pacific conflict, the experts added.
Moreton did not comment on whether these propositions are accurate, The Telegraph noted. However, he did note that air forces must be able to operate "at ranges that previously we've been unable to do," adding that "You need to be able to get there safely, undetected and return home."
The Telegraph also compared the ranges of the Tempest and the current generation of stealth fighter jets. The Typhoon has a combat radius of approximately 860 miles (1,385 kilometers); the US's F-35A has a range of approximately 680 miles (1,095 kilometers); while the Tempest has an estimated range of 1,500 miles (2,415 kilometers).
The report noted that the distance between London and Moscow is approximately 2,495 kilometers (1,550 miles).
The Tempest will also likely have a maximum takeoff weight over 30 tons, compared to the Typhoon's 23 tons. "It is going to be in a completely different league to anything we have ever built," Francis Tusa, an independent defence analyst, said.
It can also act as an airborne communications hub, according to the report. "We need to be able to operate at range, where our communications might be disrupted," Moreton said.
"Therefore, we need to make sure we have a core platform that’s crewed, that’s in a position that it can be the heart of the network if we’re unable to communicate back to home base for operations. It needs to be able to operate in an isolated environment," he added.
Britain's capability to make its own aircraft
Richard Hamilton, BAE's managing director for Europe and International Air Business, commented that the Tempest will help preserve Britain's capability to manufacture its own aircraft, the report noted.
"We’re one of a small number of nations that have the whole aircraft capability. That means we can design an aircraft, manufacture it, and actually fly it from the site to our customers as well. Not many other countries still have that capability, so it’s a freedom of action that our Government has at the moment," Hamilton stated.
Saudi Arabia is believed to be one of the countries in negotiations to join the GCAP. Riyadh currently purchases the Typhoon, The Telegraph noted.