RAF Takes Next Step Towards Pilotless Combat Aircraft

, The RAF and MOD have taken a major step towards the UK's first unmanned combat aircraft with the announcement of programme “Taranis.” 
 
A four year development programme, “Taranis”, will give the RAF a demonstrator that will form the basis of its plans to build the first pilotless front line fighter-bomber. 
 
The project, which was announced at the Institute of Physics by Lord Drayson, Minister for Defence Procurement, represents the most important phase in the UK's Strategic Unmanned Air Vehicle (UAV) experiment. 
 
The focus of the work over the next four years will be designing and flying an aircraft and gathering the evidence needed to inform decisions about a future long-range offensive aircraft and to evaluate how UAV's will contribute to the RAF's future mix of aircraft. 
 
BAE Systems at Warton in Lancashire have been awarded the lead contract