Britain’s Team Tempest program to build a new fighter jet has moved a step closer to getting into the air with Sweden poised to announce it has signed up as the project’s first international partner.

Tempest - a collaboration between industry partners BAE Systems, Rolls-Royce, MBDA and Leonardo and the British government - was unveiled at the Farnborough air show last year.

The jet - planned to be in service in 2035 - is aimed at maintaining Britain as a world power in military aircraft.

UK companies will developing new technologies for the “sixth-generation” aircraft, such as the latest breakthroughs in engines, radar-defeating stealth aerodynamics and materials, advanced electronics.

While SAAB is also evaluating a rival Franco-German fighter plan, the Tempest program funded by Britain’s Ministry of Defence and including BAE Systems Plc and Rolls-Royce Holdings Plc has more appeal for the Swedish company, Chief Executive Officer Hakan Buskhe said Friday.

“We’re much more intensive in discussion with the Brits than the other consortium,” Buskhe said in a phone briefing. “It looks very promising, and I think we jointly can do good things together.” BAE once held a 35 percent stake in SAAB and the pair cooperated in a venture to help market the Gripen.

Britain unveiled a full-sized model of the new Tempest fighter at the Farnborough air show on Monday, pledging 2 billion pounds ($2.6 billion) of funding for a concept aircraft through 2025. Team Tempest also includes the U.K. arm of MBDA, Europe’s biggest missile company, and Leonardo SpA of Italy, a partner of BAE on the current Eurofighter program.

The system is likely to operate with kinetic and non-kinetic weapons. The integration of Laser Directed Energy Weapons for self-defence and use within visual range combat is also highly likely. The ability to deploy and manage air launched ‘swarming’ Unmanned Air Vehicles (UAV) through a flexible payload bay allows the system to address dangerous Anti-Access Area Denial environments.

Air forces of the future will require a fighter system that is highly flexible and can be applied to a wide variety of military operations. Operators will have the ability to rapidly adapt the system to perform new functions or to change its performance.

According to The Telegraph, next-generation jet – planned to be in service in 2035 – is aimed at maintaining Britain as a world power in military aircraft.

AFP