BAE Systems combat aircraft demonstrator being built at Samlesbury and Warton
More than 1,000 people in Lancashire are helping to develop the UK's first crewed combat air demonstrator in more than 40 years.
A new combat aircraft being developed by BAE Systems in Lancashire is due to complete final assembly at Warton by the end of 2027 before beginning test flights in 2028.
The Combat Air Flying Demonstrator has been designed, prepared and built across the company's Samlesbury and Warton sites. More than 1,000 people in Lancashire have worked on the programme so far.
When it takes to the air, the aircraft will become the UK's first crewed combat air demonstrator in more than 40 years. It is intended to test advanced aerospace engineering, digital design and manufacturing methods as Britain works towards a sixth-generation combat aircraft capability.
BAE Systems said construction was progressing well, with two-thirds of the aircraft's structural weight now in manufacture. RAF pilots have also completed more than 300 hours of simulated flight training.
A specially built virtual reality room has been among the new training methods tested during the programme, supporting the development of new approaches to aircraft design.
The demonstrator is intended to act as a bridge between existing fighter aircraft and the UK's planned sixth-generation technology. The Eurofighter Typhoon is classed as a fourth-generation aircraft, while the US F-35 is a fifth-generation aircraft.
The new aircraft is being constructed with a carbon-fibre frame and is expected to be significantly larger than the Typhoon, although it is planned to use the same engines.
More than 100 suppliers are involved in the programme, with one-third of them based in the North West.
Tony Godbold, FCAS Delivery Director at BAE: “We are pushing the boundaries of new technologies, capabilities in engineering and manufacturing to get data, knowledge and people developed ready to take part in the next generation programmes.
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“It's been a fantastic story arc, if you will, with the 40th anniversary this year of the first flight of AEP Demonstrator in 1986.
“I've been able to connect with some of the people involved in that programme, and It's been a huge inspiration for me. We are writing that next chapter of combat air aviation history here.”
Paul Wilde, Platforms Delivery Director at BAE, said the project was creating opportunities for employees at the beginning of their careers.
He said: “Lancashire has got a rich history and a rich heritage of the aerospace industry, and here we are creating the next chapter of UK aviation history. Many of the things that we are looking to demonstrate with our Demonstrator are cutting edge for the world.
“We're really fortunate here in Lancashire, with opportunities for young people, it’s absolutely phenomenal. We've got some world-class early careers and apprenticeship schemes and kind of really high calibre people coming through.
“The work's really exciting. Young people can go within a couple of years of starting their job to design a part that will fly on an aircraft, or write some software that will be in the programme.”