GCAP prototype, aka Combat Air Flying Demonstrator, revealed

Industry partners, BAE Systems, Rolls-Royce and MBDA UK, together with the UK Ministry of Defence, have revealed the design of the UK’s flagship Combat Air Flying Demonstrator (CAFD). The aircraft has reached a major milestone, with two thirds of its structural weight now in manufacturing.

The piloted supersonic aircraft, part of the UK-Italian-Japanese Global Combat Air Program (GCAP), is the first of its kind to be developed in the UK in 40 years, says BAE Systems. The aircraft’s main structure, wings and tail fins are all taking shape using pioneering robotic and digital manufacturing and assembly technologies at BAE Systems’ sites at Warton and Samlesbury in Lancashire, signifying the advanced stage of its development.

“For the first time, people can see how this cutting-edge demonstrator aircraft will look when it takes to the skies,” said Tony Godbold, BAE Systems’ Future Combat Sair Systems Delivery Director.  “Manufacturing of the aircraft continues at pace, which is testament to the ingenuity and collaboration of Government and industry teams.”

Designed to test a wide range of new technologies, including the integration of stealth compatible features, the CAFD will help develop manufacturing processes and de-risk the GCAP next-generation combat aircraft.

“By applying advanced new solutions and digital manufacturing technologies, such as 3D printing, cobotics, digital twins, model-based systems engineering and virtual simulation, BAE Systems engineers are at the forefront of the revolution in aircraft design and manufacture,” says Richard Berthon, Director Future Combat Air, UK Ministry of Defence.

Test pilots from BAE Systems, Rolls-Royce and the Royal Air Force (RAF) have now flown more than 300 hours of the CAFD in a bespoke simulator, he added. Using simulated flight trials, pilots and engineers can rapidly assess the flight control systems during more complex flight manoeuvres, capturing crucial data about how the jet will handle and perform, years before its first flight.

“Collectively, this important work aims to dramatically reduce the time and costs involved in producing military jets, while maintaining the sovereign design, engineering and manufacturing capabilities needed to keep the UK at the forefront of global aerospace innovation,” he says.

This significant and challenging project will deliver the UK’s first crewed combat demonstrator aircraft in four decades, since the Experimental Aircraft Prototype (EAP), which tested many technologies later embodied in the Typhoon. The program is accelerating the development of advanced design approaches and manufacturing techniques, helping to sharpen the UK’s industrial edge and deliver benefits beyond the production of this particular aircraft, says BAE Systems.

As well as developing a unique aircraft, BAE Systems says it is building the technical foundations, workforce readiness and digital maturity essential to deliver the next generation of combat air capability.