Engineers at BAE Systems are exploiting the digital environment to design, test, and fly concepts for Tempest, UK’s next-generation fighter jet, which will be in service by 2035. BAE Systems has said that the conceptual shapes for the aircraft have been virtually designed and tested, with high-performance computers able to calculate the aerodynamic performance of different aircraft features and test pilots taking Tempest to the skies from a ground-based simulator.
Subsequently, scale models were produced by 3D printing and evaluated in the wind tunnel facilities at Warton, Lancashire, to physically test the aerodynamic properties of the design under harsh wind speeds of more than twice the speed of sound.
These tests also tested some of the key features of the Tempest, such as the aircraft’s so-called ‘flexible payload bay’ on the underside of the fuselage....MORE
