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Replica was a design study for a British military aircraft with stealth capabilities, developed by BAE Systems. It was associated with the Royal Air Force's now cancelled Future Offensive Air System. The Replica project is known to have run from 1994 to 1999 building a full size model and subjected to a rigorous test regime to determine its radar cross section. It is widely believed that Replica may have been intended to replace the Panavia Tornado from 2017 onwards. Experience from the program was later rolled into the Joint Strike Fighter program, which essentially replaced Replica.

BAE Systems Replica

Despite a 10 to 15% UK stake in the Joint Strike Fighter programme, Britain's fire place salesman extraordinaire and the then Minister of Defence, Gavin Williamson announced at the very last Farnborough Air Show (not an auspicious start) that as part of the UK Combat Air Strategy a new 6th generation aircraft named the Tempest will be built by the UK and as yet unsigned up partners, one of which potential partners was named as the Government and Air Force of India.

BAE Systems Tempest


What do ops-normalisers think, a genuine project or a grandiose politican's pipe dream that will lead nowhere and become so much vaporware?

Very pretty but I thought they were also looking at a Stealth RPV too.

Pontius Navigator wrote: ↑

Sat Nov 30, 2019 4:15 pm

Very pretty but I thought they were also looking at a Stealth RPV too.

The Tempest is going to be configured to be both manned and an RPV/UAV depending on mission requirement PN.