It is critical for the F-35 and F-22 to be inoperable with allies.

Take it you meant ‘operable’?;)

It is a mock up used to test the RCS impact of various systems before putting them on an aircraft, they were then successfully flown on Taranis. Hence why it was seen being moved about in 2014.

https://theaviationist.com/2014/02/25/mysterious-bae-replica/

In February 2014, the testbed model of Replica was seen being transported around the BAE Warton test facility in Lancashire, England. During the brief 2014 sighting, the aircraft was sporting a new low-visibility coating and minor structural changes and was upside down on a platform being taken into an enclosed hangar.[2] These changes are most likely to be related to the Taranis aircraft, further refining design and aiding in development of new stealth coatings for the Anglo-Franco Future Combat Air System. As of March 2014, the Replica testbed is back on its radar testing plinth at BAE Warton but now in its new paint scheme.[5]

https://www.theengineer.co.uk/issues/july-digi-issue/taranis-combat-drone-proves-powers-of-radar-invisiblity/

The Taranis team developed a ‘conformal air data system’ of sensors that can gather critical flight information such as the craft’s altitude, attitude and angle of attack without the need for an external boom or probe on its nose (although BAE was unable to reveal how it had done this).

The craft’s antennas were also replaced with less visible ‘signature control variants’ to further reduce its radar profile, and a suite a software upgrades were introduced to operate these new sensor and communication systems.

Conrad Banks, chief engineer for research and technology at Rolls-Royce, explained how the craft’s Adour 951 turbofan engines – variants of which are used in training aircraft such as the BAE Hawk – also had to be prevented from producing a trackable radar or heat signature.

‘The challenge for us is not about the engine; it’s about the integration and it’s about the LO exhaust system,’ he said. ‘We have to fully embed and hide the gas turbine within the heart of the aircraft. That is essential to minimise the radar cross-section.’

This had to be done in a way that managed the resulting unusual airflow and aerodynamics through the propulsion system to prevent any engine surge and preserve its performance.

The engine also had to be highly thermally insulated and include a large number of internal sensors to monitor its performance because of the difficulty of removing it for inspection and maintenance.

The majority of Rolls-Royce’s time, however, was spent on reducing the IR and radar signature of the exhaust. Banks revealed that measures for this included a thin rectangular-shaped port that would disperse exhaust gas very rapidly and at an angle that matched the trailing edges of the aircraft, as well as advanced internal geometry and cooling systems.

Although Banks couldn’t discuss manufacturing for the craft in detail, he said a lot of work was done on titanium processing.

I think many nations have the ability to build a 5th gen aircraft now with modern computing and materials expertise but back 30 years ago it was deemed too risky.

GKN is an expert in composites the world over regardless of country.

Embedding of antennae is exactly what Replica and Taranis have been used to demonstrate. That’s why they’ve had Replica out for testing only recently. And I assume wind tunnels tests for aero. GKN will tell you all about canopies too. I think if the Typhoon and Rafale projects had been delayed 10-15 years, they would be 5th gen but the design risk was deemed too great in the early ’80s.

Marcellogo, please do not include me in the same response as you address Ryan. I was referring to the hype in the previous posts about an American strike, he is being borderline offensive as usual.

Lighten up, I’m just having a laugh. I mean, “Day of Wrath,” how the hell can you take that seriously?

NIB could be a very good idea or it could be a really bad idea depending on how it’s managed. It’s basically like investing in shares, you can make a lot of money, or you can lose a lot of money, except in this case the risk is on the taxpayer.

But wasn’t it a case that the Rafale was design to roll very easily, with the down side being reduced roll stability.

Can the JL-1 be equipped with the AShM warhead of the DF-21D?

How many warheads has China really got now?

Well not too long ago, as in up to 2005, 40% GDP was regarded as a golden rule of sorts for borrowing and 60% is the criteria for joining the Euro. So there is clearly some sort of rough region there to be aimed for. 90+% is certainly not the place to be. In fact, in the US 90% was the limit at which an emergency budget discussion had to be held in keeping with historical thought on the matter. So a lot of previously held commonsense is and has been ignored by many, not least the Labour party.