UK Tempest Fighter’s Massive Payload Ambition Revealed

The U.K. Royal Air Force officer responsible for defining requirements for the Tempest future fighter says the program’s top priority is a large Fighter Aircraft Payload — roughly twice that of the F-35A stealth fighter. The same officer indicates the service is aiming for “really extreme range” for the new aircraft, potentially enough internal fuel to fly across the Atlantic without refueling. These requirements offer additional insights into the projected size and capabilities of the sixth-generation stealth fighter and parallel similar concerns that have driven the development of the U.S. Air Force’s future fighter under the Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) initiative.

Concept art showing the UK Tempest fighter aircraft configuration unveiled at Farnborough.

The remarks were made by an officer identified only as Group Captain Bill, who leads the Requirement and Concepting team for the U.K. Ministry of Defense. This department is tasked with defining the capabilities the Tempest needs to fulfill the Royal Air Force’s evolving operational requirements. He spoke earlier this month on a special edition of Team Tempest’s Future Horizons podcast, partnered with the Royal Air Force’s InsideAIR official podcast.

GCAP, or Global Combat Air Program, is the collaborative effort under which the United Kingdom’s Tempest next-generation fighter is being developed, in partnership with Italy and Japan. The podcast raised the possibility that the aircraft itself might not be known as Tempest once in service, although that name still seems most likely for the Royal Air Force, at least. new generation fighter aircraft programs globally are emphasizing significant leaps in capability over previous generations.

A demonstrator for the Tempest program is now being built, with its first flight expected in 2027. The precise relationship of this demonstrator to the final production aircraft remains somewhat unclear.

Production line view of the Tempest flying demonstrator aircraft taking shape at Warton.

Meanwhile, a Boeing 757-based flying testbed for the Tempest program, named Excalibur, is also now flying. Its sensor suite is planned to include the Multi-Function Radio Frequency System radar from Leonardo, along with communications systems and electronic warfare equipment.

More broadly, for the United Kingdom specifically, the Tempest will be a central component of the Future Combat Air System (FCAS) program. This is a wide-ranging air combat initiative that also encompasses next-generation weapons, uncrewed platforms, advanced networks, and sophisticated data sharing capabilities.

BAE Systems graphic illustrating the Tempest fighter as part of a system of systems with ancillary technologies.

The “Quarterback” Role and Operational Requirements

Bill described the plan for Tempest, as the core platform within the FCAS system of systems, to function as a “quarterback.” This term has been previously used for emerging and future combat aircraft missions, as well as existing 5th generation fighters. Fifth-generation aircraft leverage their superior situational awareness and survivability to operate forward, acting as a force multiplier for less capable assets. In the context of 6th generation tactical jets, it also signifies the ability to command uncrewed Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCAs) and/or other drones, in addition to orchestrating networked weapons.

“It’s the platform that walks onto the field knowing the plan,” Bill explained. “It understands what plans it has available, it’s no longer able to maintain the connection back to the coach on the sidelines because you’re too deep into the field, and the other players that are there in that team, some of those will be expendable. They will not make it through the play that we’re executing, and that play will not go to plan either. The quarterback needs to have the ability, the strategic vision, and the reactions to be able to deal with what plays out when they start and then pick how it’s then going to deliver the tasks to what remains on the field, to look at what’s going on and then decide how it achieves the aim. It’s survivable enough to take a hit if needs be, it’s no kind of fragile back-row player. Also, if need be, it can score a touchdown itself. But the aim here is that it’s going to orchestrate many others, many other parts in that system of systems.”

BAE Systems graphic showing the Tempest fighter networked with other aircraft like Typhoon and F-35, controlling loyal wingman drones.

“This aircraft is going to approach replacing Typhoon in a different way,” Bill stated. “The threat environment means that range has become a really big thing for all of us.”

This emphasis on range is being recognized in sixth-generation combat aircraft programs worldwide, whether in NGAD in the United States or in broadly similar Chinese developments. china 6th generation fighter aircraft designs are also expected to feature significantly extended operational ranges.

For the Tempest program, the anticipated threat environment suggests the fighter will likely “have to leave the tanker a long way behind” in various combat scenarios. This necessity is driving the demand for “really extreme range, kind of maybe getting across the Atlantic to America on internal fuel.” This contrasts sharply with the Typhoon, which would typically require three or four aerial refueling hook-ups to cover the same distance.

Royal Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft refueling mid-air from a Voyager tanker over Europe.

Payload Takes Top Priority

“We’re building an aircraft that is going to have an awful lot of range,” Bill continued, “but at the top of our list is the payload.”

“Payload is what we’re all about,” Bill emphasized. “In fact, in pure capability terms, I don’t care how I get [the payload] there. It could be in the back of an A400, from a submarine, or from space. It just so happens that our analysis tells us the best way to get that payload there right now is in a fast jet. But the payload, now you’d expect weapons to be in there. So that’s obvious, and boy, will we have weapons.”

According to Bill, the Tempest will possess roughly double the Fighter Aircraft Payload capacity of an F-35A. It is not explicitly stated how this is divided between fuel and ordnance, but the F-35A’s total internal and external ordnance capacity is more than 18,000 pounds. Considering the described mission, this comparison is likely referring to internal payload capacity. The F-35A can carry around 5,000 lbs internally (typically two 2,000lb-class guided bombs and a pair of AIM-120s). Doubling this suggests the Tempest could carry around 10,000 lbs of internal payload, which would provide a substantial arsenal of its own. most powerful fighter aircraft concepts often prioritize significant payload capacity to deliver diverse effects on the battlefield.

Lockheed Martin graphic detailing the internal and external weapons station capacity of the F-35A fighter aircraft.

The weapons intended for the Tempest’s large internal bays are expected to include new missile types currently under development. A significant focus here will likely be on ultra-long-range air-to-air missiles. Plans to equip the Tempest with larger, longer-range air-to-air missiles than those currently used by any of the three GCAP partner countries were revealed earlier this year.

Representative military fast jet fuselage section used for testing during early Tempest development.

While Bill noted that the Tempest should not be characterized solely as a specialist for beyond-visual-range combat, there is a clear expectation that it should defeat aerial threats at greater distances than, for example, the Typhoon.

“I think the idea of defeating an enemy by turning harder, we have to ask ourselves, is that necessarily the way you want GCAP to fight? Tempest may be able to defeat a threat without needing to turn at all, and that’s a really bold statement to make, remember, because we made that statement once before in the 1960s with Phantom where we said maneuverability was no longer a thing, and that missiles would be able to do the job, and radars would be able to do the job. That turned out to be the wrong assessment, and we had to go through a whole cycle to get ourselves back to a place where we understood how we were going to use combat air. So we’re not making any of these kinds of statements lightly. There’s an awful lot of analysis that goes on behind it, but I wouldn’t characterize GCAP as only a long-range platform at all.” The experience with aircraft like the cold war fighter aircraft emphasized the need for a balanced approach to air combat capabilities.

Royal Air Force F-4 Phantom fighter aircraft with Sidewinder missiles during a 1984 exercise.

Beyond Weapons: Sensors and Servers as Payload

The substantial fighter aircraft payload for the Tempest will not be limited to fuel and weapons alone.

Sensors are considered equally vital, especially given the anticipated quarterback role.

“Everywhere GCAP goes, it carves a picture of the world to support other military capabilities, to be able to exploit that, use that,” Bill explained. “And so getting the sensors forward is as important as getting the weapons forward. And those sensors also mean that when we go deep into enemy territory, and we may not be able to reach back to anyone else’s help, [or if] there’s no connection with the E-7 in the future, we still can complete the kill chain, so the ability to find and fix something, to identify it, to engage it, and then work out how that engagement went. We can still do that within our platform or within our formation.”

The final element of the payload puzzle involves the Tempest’s function as a ‘flying server rack’, specifically supporting complementary drones and other autonomous capabilities, including those pushed further forward into the battlespace.

Representative forward fuselage design for the Tempest fighter used for ejection seat testing on a rocket sled.

He elaborated: “We’re going to take the compute forward and then take the server rack forward. Because if you want low-cost autonomous systems, we all know from turning our iPhone on, how much data you pull to use ChatGPT. Well, where’s that server going to be if you’re deep in enemy territory? So if you want low-cost autonomous systems, they need a server to back them up, and they need sensors to back them up to make them capable. So that quarterback has a really important role now, because you’re carrying the sensors and the servers to enable that system-of-systems that’s forward in that contested area.”

The significance of the Tempest as a resilient data-gathering and data-sharing hub is closely linked to its planned quarterback role. This function becomes even more critical considering the aircraft is expected to use its various capabilities, including stealth, to penetrate deep into enemy airspace where traditional network connectivity may be denied.

Side view concept art of China’s unofficial J-36 next-generation stealth fighter design. chinese stealth fighter aircraft developments are also focusing on advanced networked capabilities and multi-role functions.

“So the idea of us being able to guarantee a connection back to our side, that’s not reasonable,” Bill explained. “What I can guarantee is a connection back to the GCAP, that core platform. That’s why I call it a quarterback. So we’ll be able to maintain, we have to maintain a local network.”

Bill also observed that the F-35 already serves as a good example of an aircraft capable of gathering vast amounts of data and distributing it to other assets, although the Tempest is intended to take this capability even further.

“The F-35, when it’s in a formation, is greater than the sum of its parts,” Bill said. “But in some ways, that F-35 formation is a little bit selfish with the way it does that, with GCAP and sixth-generation, where we’re heading for is something that’s greater than the sum of its parts, but that benefit is shared across the domains, so with maritime, with land, with space and with other air assets. Our ability to connect is going to be fundamental to our success. And when we’re outside of the threat environment, we’ll be connected in a very broad, low-latency, high-speed, high-bandwidth way, and as we go in, we’ll narrow that down and manage that for our survivability.”

Royal Air Force Typhoon landing at Nellis Air Force Base during Exercise Red Flag, with a USAF F-35 fighter aircraft taxiing behind.

The potential inability to guarantee a connection back to a distant command center or operational node is also why the Tempest is planned to have a pilot, at least for now. Bill suggested it would be a single pilot, though their function might be closer to a weapons system officer (WSO) than a traditional pilot.

“We’re prepared, though, for the time when artificial general intelligence does catch up,” Bill added, hinting at the possibility of a future uncrewed version of the Tempest. U.K. officials have previously raised this idea, with the Chief of the Air Staff stating earlier this year that an uncrewed variant was “absolutely” possible in the longer term.

Drones, Saturation, and the Future Mix

Official artist’s concept of a potential Tempest/GCAP configuration, with Mount Fuji in the background.

Bill also addressed the question of drones and whether the proliferation of uncrewed platforms undermines the continued relevance of crewed combat aircraft like the Tempest.

While acknowledging that the cost of a single fast jet could potentially fund thousands of drones, he argued that the future threat environment necessitates a balance of high-end and lower-end capabilities. The core demands of future air combat will involve significant range and some form of survivability, whether through stealth, speed, or a combination.

“By the time you’ve made your long-range, high-speed, somewhat stealthy or completely expendable drone, you probably end up at a cost point, which isn’t necessarily where you’d expect,” Bill reasoned. “So there’s a balance to this. In all of it, if you want it to be low cost, you really want the sensors to be somewhere else, maybe in a GCAP. If you want that compute to be somewhere else, so they’re smart, they’re not dumb, you’re going to need a server rack in the right place where you can connect to with without getting them killed, because talking too loud can get you killed in a modern threat environment. So you need a server right there. Maybe that’s GCAP as well.”

Despite this, Bill noted there is “absolutely a place for saturation through autonomous and expendable systems,” characterizing this as “definitely one of our three S’s.” These three critical elements are stealth, suppression (e.g., electronic attack assets), and saturation.

“We’ve done that for years with weapons already, but drones are the new form of saturation. Put those three things together, and you have got yourself a really nice mix. But if you pick any one antibiotic and just overuse it, what you breed is antibiotic resistance, you get yourself whacked by something that’s evolved to deal with you. So you need to have a spread.”

Interestingly, Bill mentioned these capabilities coming online somewhat later than previously planned. He spoke about the objective for Tempest to replace the Royal Air Force’s Typhoon in the 2040s, while earlier official statements had suggested an in-service date of 2035. Developing the full suite of planned advanced technologies affordably and on time remains a significant challenge, in addition to potential political obstacles that could impact the program’s progress.

Conclusion

The UK’s Tempest future fighter program is placing an unprecedented emphasis on fighter aircraft payload and extreme range, aiming to double the internal capacity of the F-35A. These requirements, coupled with the planned role as a “quarterback” controlling networked assets and carrying advanced sensors and computing power (“flying server rack”), highlight a strategic shift towards a system-of-systems approach in highly contested future environments. While integrating new technologies and managing costs present considerable hurdles, the focus on payload and range underscores their critical importance for the next generation of air combat capabilities and the Tempest’s intended role as a highly capable, survivable hub within the Future Combat Air System.