BAE Systems—the leading member of the Team Tempest consortium, which includes Leonardo, MBDA and Rolls-Royce—has begun looking at new manufacturing techniques and technology that will not only apply to work on Tempest but potentially also to existing programs such as the Eurofighter Typhoon and Lockheed Martin F-35 as well.
Current manufacturing processes, such as drilling 150,000 holes in and around the fuselage and wings of the BAE Systems Hawk jet trainer or the Typhoon’s moving production line, are too slow for what is envisaged for Tempest, said Andrew Schofield, BAE’s director of manufacturing and materials, speaking earlier in August.
He said future production methods will need to be leaner and more productive.
“When you take the length of time from concept [to] bringing Typhoon [into] service, we are looking to halve that time across the whole organization,” said Schofield.
https://aviationweek.com/combat-aircraft/bae-envisioning-future-factory-tempest (needs registration to read)
Encouraging to read. Sticking things together more competitively might make the difference between the project going ahead or folding.
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