British Stealth UAV Revealed

Posted on: Dec. 20th, 2005 || Source: aviationnow.com | E-mail Article | Print Article

Unveiling a grand defense industrial strategy, the British government is signaling that the Joint Strike Fighter will be its last manned combat aircraft and that it will launch an unmanned combat air vehicle technology demonstrator in 2006.

The government's defense industrial strategy (DIS), announced last week, will determine the shape of the U.K.'s defense industry for decades to come, as well as the government's relationships with U.S. and European companies. The strategy is aimed at keeping BAE Systems as the country's national champion. The document is the first time a British government has attempted to spell out its policy in this arena, and is intended to address radically changing requirements in an evolving defense market.


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The document flushes out previously classified unmanned combat air vehicle (UCAV) research, committing the ministry to launch a full-scale technology demonstrator next year. The UCAV effort is a key element of the approach to air systems enshrined in the policy paper (see www.mod.uk).

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