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Unmanned flight, swarming technology for drone control and directed-energy weapons could all be included in the aircraft, which is intended to replace the Eurofighter Typhoon from 2035.
In development at a consortium of BAE Systems, Leonardo, Rolls-Royce, MBDA and the Ministry of Defence, the Tempest is at concept stage. With £2bn pledged for the programme, the government would be wise to learn lessons from high-profile production issues elsewhere.
A series of delays have affected the sector in recent months, including the recent decision to halt production of Boeing’s 737 Max model. The US defence department also delayed full-rate production of the Lockheed Martin F-35 fighter jet last October.
Despite that decision, the multinational has exceeded internal production goals, meaning it is on track to reach its target of peak production in 2023. The OEM has more than doubled production rates in recent years, delivering 131 last year compared to just 66 in 2017. Almost 1,000 pilots have been trained to fly the jet in nine countries. With the price of the model also predicted to fall by around 12% between 2019 and 2022, it is becoming more competitive compared to other combat aircraft.
Welcome news
Lockheed Martin will have to continue improving maintenance of existing fleets to keep meeting production targets. Since 2018, it has reduced the proportion of its fleet deemed not to be ‘mission capable’ owing to supply shortages from 37% to 17%.
Improved production rates are welcome news for the supply chain, helping manufacturers justify their investment in the programme. For suppliers also aligned with Boeing, it’s likely that the 737 Max delays provided an opportunity to address any capacity issues by redistributing labour between factories or shifting focus.
With Lockheed Martin’s efforts to ramp up F-35 production firmly under way and large order volumes still to deliver, an engineering-led cost reduction programme could enable suppliers to make important cost savings during production. The certainty of large order volumes put suppliers in a strong position to negotiate, and more consistent production rates could allow them to make cost improvements that are often overlooked.
For example, any design changes to components that might require changes to the production process will inevitably take time to implement. Close collaboration during the design phase is important – smoothing out issues early on will make things easier later. It is essential that manufacturers have a strong understanding of the true cost of manufacturing, and the level of engineering required to produce specific components. Suppliers should be in a strong position to make informed judgements on how to drive value while maintaining quality standards and service.
The performance-based aftermarket contract proposed by Lockheed Martin to the US government, which involves passing any cost-related risks onto the supply chain, is also moving the importance of cost reduction up suppliers’ agendas.
Way forward
The F-35 now looks set to be cleared for full-rate production, but the Tempest programme can nonetheless learn from the challenges that Lockheed Martin, the supply chain and Boeing have faced. Learning lessons could be crucial to achieving the goal of halving the overall development time and making the next generation of combat aircraft a success.
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