Tempest

[Foxbat]

It’s the name of the fighter slated to replace the Typhoon in 2035.

The F35 has the ability to act not only as a strike aircraft but as a command and control centre for unmanned aircraft (drones). It appears that, not only does Tempest have this same capability but it in itself could be used as an unmanned aircraft. Then, there are Effectors (weapons and electronic warfare). It appears that it will be future-proofed with an eye on ‘non-kinetic effectors‘ (beam weapons).

Of course, British defence projects are notorious for trimming original concepts and not delivering what was originally promised. Still, this is an interesting concept and the website gives you the chance to play around with the 3D models. Whether this actually happens remains to be seen.

Team Tempest

The Future of Combat Air Tempest is the next-generation combat aircraft, operating at the cutting edge of technological innovation and securing the UK's position as a global leader in combat air.

www.raf.mod.uk

 

[CupofJoe]

Yes... I too will wait until I see something taxiing around an airfield. And maybe not then.
Someone I know said it sounded too much like the film Stealth.

Stealth (film) - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

and we know how well that went....
But thank you! With a bit of web wandering and now I know the RAF use Chipmunks to train pilots in flying and taxiing tail wheel aircraft for the BBMF.

 

[paranoid marvin]

Well we've had the Tornado, the Typhoon and now the Tempest. A running theme developing here?

 

[Foxbat]

Well we've had the Tornado, the Typhoon and now the Tempest. A running theme developing here?

We also had the Hurricane, Tempest and Typhoon in WW2. There’s definitely a theme but also a lack of imagination.

 

[CupofJoe]

When they bring back the name Spitfire I'll know GB is in trouble.

 

[CupofJoe]

I've just realised/remembered they were all Hawker Aircraft too; the Tornado, Typhoon and Tempest.

 

[BigBadBob141]

To true they were all built by Hawker, the Typhoon was a replacement for the Hurricane, armed with eight sixty pound rockets, each the equivalent of a six inch navel shell, it made a formidable ground attack aircraft especially during the Normandy campaign plus it was armed with four twenty millimeter cannons which carried a hell of a punch.
The Tempest came into service in '44, it was meant as a more powerful replacement for the Typhoon, among other things it was used to shoot down V1 flying bombs as it was pretty fast, a very nice looking aircraft.
Am probably teaching my granny to suck eggs but there is lots of info on any of these aircraft on good old Wikipedia.

 

[Venusian Broon]

We also had the Hurricane, Tempest and Typhoon in WW2. There’s definitely a theme but also a lack of imagination.

Clearly the number of 'cool' weather terms starting with T is somewhat limited. Although it might be fun to have a plane called the 'Tropical Depression'. I think it's the manufacturer themselves that propagate the naming convention of having a T rather than the MoD.

The main battle tank naming nomenclature makes more sense, as all British cruiser tanks started with C, and that has continued to this day (as we don't make Infantry tanks anymore.)

 

[BigBadBob141]

Churchill, Crusader, Cromwell, Centurion ect, ect!
P.S. It's the same for Wikipedia when it comes to tanks, I have been watching The Tank Museum and Lindybeige channels on You Tube far, far too much!

 

[BAYLOR]

Churchill, Crusader, Cromwell, Centurion ect, ect!
P.S. It's the same for Wikipedia when it comes to tanks, I have been watching The Tank Museum and Lindybeige channels on You Tube far, far too much!

On YouTube They have demonstrations of German Tanks in action at one exhibition one , a restored and operational King Tiger , it was very slow , clunky and noisy but interesting.

Also, at air show a man flew a replica of a Me262 jet fighter plane . It was quite impressive.

 

[Pyan]

Then, there are Effectors (weapons and electronic warfare).

Incidentally, also the word used by Iain M Banks for the primary weapon of a Culture ship-Mind...

 

[Foxbat]

The main battle tank naming nomenclature makes more sense, as all British cruiser tanks started with C, and that has continued to this day (as we don't make Infantry tanks anymore.)

Similarly, NATO’s naming convention for soviet/russian fixed wing aircraft is logical. F for fighter, B for bomber. If it has two syllables, it’s jet powered, one syllable makes it propellor driven.

So, we know Foxbat is a jet fighter (MiG 25) whilst Bear is a turboprop bomber Tu-95. Bison is a jet powered bomber (Myasishchev M-4). Fishbed is a jet fighter MiG 21). etc.
Makes perfect sense

 

[Foxbat]

The lack of naming imagination continues (but at least it's good to see this particular name heading back to the skies)

New British ‘Mosquito’ fighter aircraft to fly in 2023

The uncrewed combat aircraft will be designed to shoot down other aircraft.

ukdefencejournal.org.uk

 

[Pyan]

Sounds like a larger version of Iain M Banks' knife missiles. What with this and Effectors (see above), perhaps the next thing will be slap-drones to replace ankle monitoring cuffs.

 

[.matthew.]

Sounds like a larger version of Iain M Banks' knife missiles.

How come taking two weapons and sticking the names together sounds so cool?

 

[The Ace]

We also had the Hurricane, Tempest and Typhoon in WW2. There’s definitely a theme but also a lack of imagination.

The Hawker Tornado was developed in parallel, with the Typhoon - the only difference being the Tornado's Rolls-Royce Vulture engine, compared to the Typhoon's Napier Sabre. The Tornado was abandoned when the Vulture engine proved to be a disaster.

 

[Foxbat]

Surprising that a name synonymous with quality should produce a turkey and call it a vulture

 

[The Ace]

Surprising that a name synonymous with quality should produce a turkey and call it a vulture

The Rolls-Royce Kestrel had been superb, but had reached its limits long before the War. While the R-series racing engine was reduced in size to enhance reliability at around 1000hp (the Merlin) and practically rebuilt to give a reliable bomber engine (the Griffon), development of the Kestrel continued in an increased-bore version (the Peregrine) and a coupled version driving a common crankshaft (the X-24 Vulture). The Peregrine's unreliability cut short the career of the Westland Whirlwind (the only type fitted with it), while the problems of the Avro Manchester were solved overnight when the Manchester III (later Lancaster) swapped its twin Vultures for four Merlins.