One day following the announcement of Britain’s future combat air system (FCAS) effort, known as Tempest, U.S. Air Force officials plan to discuss the project this week with UK officials.
Tempest was revealed on the first day of the Farnborough Airshow. The aircraft is described as a twin-engine, low-observable fighter.
Air Force Under Secretary Matthew Donovan told reporters interoperability is the most important feature when any partner is building a platform critical to an allied fight.
“Other folks who are going to develop new technologies, we highly encourage that, because we don’t have the corner on the market for sure,” he said. “But we want to make sure that they are going to fit into the joint coalition warfare fighting system they have in the future, so [that] we can agree on standards moving forward.”
Will Roper, assistant secretary of the air force for acquisition, technology and logistics, told reporters during the same briefing the U.S. must work with its allies, especially the UK, on the next generation of air dominance.
“A lot of what we’re going to have to determine about the future depends on the direction that we think threats are evolving, but not just our threats – it’s also the world of commercial technology,” he said. “Now we live in a world where sensors are increasingly propagating because of commercial investment – we have to weigh the pros and cons.”
Roper is visiting the UK’s Rapid Capabilities Office, which is a mirror of the Pentagon’s, to discuss ways the two entities can work together, he said.
“To achieve the National Defense Strategy we can’t do it alone. We’re going to have to be able to not just fight with our allies – we’re going to have to be able to build things with them,” Roper said.
