Taranis: British stealth drone passes top-secret trial
UK's £185m unmanned Taranis drone completes 'full stealth' flight above the Australian desert
Britain has successfully completed secret trials of its state-of-the-art Taranis stealth drone above the Australian desert, it was revealed at the Farnborough Airshow yesterday.
The flight of the delta-winged, finless aircraft in "full stealth configuration" was hailed as a success by the companies involved in the project: BAE Systems, Rolls-Royce and Qinetiq.
Chris Garside, BAE's engineering director, said the Taranis drone, which takes its name from the Celtic god of thunder, represents a step forward for the British arms industry. "Taranis is a real showcase for UK expertise and the trials are a stepping stone toward unmanned warfare," Garside said.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The Times described the test flight as "a milestone on the road to Britain having unmanned aerial combat squadrons."
Taranis, jointly funded by the government and private industry, has cost £185 million so far. The big breakthrough from the Australian test programme was the successful concealment of the drone's Rolls-Royce Adour 951 engine from radar.
"The challenge has not been to build the engine but to integrate it — to embed and hide the gas turbine, to minimise its thermal image and its infra-red signature and to minimise any sign there is an engine there," Conrad Banks, Rolls-Royce's chief engineer, said.
The tests also helped refine the Taranis's heat-seeking sensors.
The jet is now back at BAE's plant in Warton, northwest England, where it is undergoing maintenance, Defense News reports.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Government shutdown looming? Blame the border
Talking Points Democrats and Republicans say funding for immigration enforcement is the budget battle's latest sticking point. That's about all they agree on.
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
'Conservatives have not limited their attack on reproductive rights to the US'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
Housing costs: the root of US economic malaise?
speed read Many voters are troubled by the housing affordability crisis
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Russia claims Ukraine drone attack on Moscow
Speed Read War ‘comes to Putin’s doorstep’ as capital wakes to explosions
By Chas Newkey-Burden Published
-
The ethics of military drones
feature Pilotless bombers play a key role in modern warfare but could AI increase the number of civilian deaths?
By Chas Newkey-Burden Published
-
Can Ukraine win war in the skies with Russia?
Today's Big Question Western-supplied weapons are bolstering Kyiv’s defences but they come at a cost
By The Week Staff Published
-
Is Henry Kissinger right about Ukraine?
Speed Read The US statesman made a controversial speech at a virtual Davos appearance last week
By The Week Staff Published
-
How the Taliban is rolling back the freedoms of the past 20 years
Speed Read Supreme leader has now announced that all women must cover their faces in public
By The Week Staff Published
-
Volodymyr Zelenskyy refused evacuation as Russian hitmen ‘parachuted’ into Kyiv
Speed Read Ukrainian president turned down opportunity to leave capital despite threat to life, adviser claims
By The Week Staff Published
-
Russia can still ‘win’ Ukraine war, Western officials warn
Speed Read Vladimir Putin adjusts tactics after ‘humiliation’ for second phase of invasion
By The Week Staff Published
-
Ukraine war: the atrocities unfolding out of sight
Speed Read Vladimir Putin’s strategy of ‘Russification’ is straight from Stalin’s playbook
By The Week Staff Last updated