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BAE Systems unveils secret Collaborative Combat Aircraft 'Brontanax' at Farnborough Airshow
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At the Farnborough International Airshow 2026, BAE Systems unveiled a previously secret Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) named Brontanax, presented as a scale model. The unveiling was conducted by British Defence Secretary Wes Streeting and Royal Air Force Chief Air Chief Marshal Sir Harv Smyth. The Brontanax is BAE's contribution to the UK's Storm Fighter program, which was announced on July 16 with £300 million in funding under the British Defence Investment Plan. Streeting emphasized the need to keep pace with adversaries' AI development and stated that Brontanax will serve as an operational technology demonstrator, with a first flight targeted for 2027. He hailed the project as a milestone for British defence and reindustrialisation, showcasing UK technological leadership.
Source report
BAE Systems announced at the Farnborough International Airshow 2026 that it has secretly developed a new Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) named Brontanax.
Scale Model Revealed
A scale model of the fuselage was unveiled by British Defence Secretary Wes Streeting, alongside Air Chief Marshal Sir Harv Smyth, Chief of the Royal Air Force. The ceremony took place in Hall 5 at the BAE Systems exhibition stand.
Background and Funding
Streeting noted that on 16 July, Luke Pollard—the British Minister of State for Defence Readiness and the Defence Industry—had presented the UK's autonomous CCA programme under the name Storm Fighter. The programme will be funded with £300 million as part of the recently announced British Defence Investment Plan.
Official Statements
Streeting commented:
"This will create new procurement pathways and fundamentally reform collaboration with industry to provide modern capabilities for our armed forces. This is important because we must keep pace with the speed at which our adversaries are developing AI technologies."
He added:
"With today's presentation, BAE is delivering exactly that. We will adopt Brontanax as an operational technology demonstrator and fly the system for the first time as early as 2027. This is a milestone for British defence – not only for the air force, but also for reindustrialisation. This presentation shows that British industry is at the forefront of technological innovation worldwide and that the UK is open for investment and collaboration."
Source
CPM Defence Network – News: Verteidigung und WehrtechnikWestern
Part of this Story
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