Future Offensive Air System
Encyclopedia
The Future Offensive Air System was a study which sought to replace the Royal Air Force
's strike capability currently provided by the Tornado GR4. Initial operation capability was expected around 2017. The FOAS was cancelled in June 2005.
stated that the J-UCAS program would be terminated.
and the other by LogicaCMG
.
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
's strike capability currently provided by the Tornado GR4. Initial operation capability was expected around 2017. The FOAS was cancelled in June 2005.
Cancellation
In March 2005 the UK joined the United States' Joint-Unmanned Combat Air System programme. In December 2005 the UK government published its Defense Industrial Strategy, a part of which was the announcement of increased funding for UCAV technology de-risking and development and the funding for a UCAV Technology Demonstrator Program. The 2006 US Quadrennial Defense ReviewQuadrennial Defense Review
The Quadrennial Defense Review is a study by the United States Department of Defense that analyzes strategic objectives and potential military threats. The Quadrennial Defense Review Report is the main public document describing the United States's military doctrine.As stipulated in the 1997...
stated that the J-UCAS program would be terminated.
Options
The capability required may have been provided by any number of systems;- New build aircraft, for instance the BAE HALO (High Altitude Low Observability) or BAE ReplicaBAE ReplicaReplica was a design study for a military aircraft with stealth capabilities, developed by BAE Systems. It was associated with the Royal Air Force's now cancelled Future Offensive Air System. The programme is known to have run from 1994 to 1999, and a full size model was built and subjected to a...
demonstrator. - Development of current aircraft For example a variant of the Eurofighter TyphoonEurofighter TyphoonThe Eurofighter Typhoon is a twin-engine, canard-delta wing, multirole combat aircraft, designed and built by a consortium of three companies: EADS, Alenia Aeronautica and BAE Systems; working through a holding company, Eurofighter GmbH, which was formed in 1986...
or the F-35 Lightning IIF-35 Lightning IIThe Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II is a family of single-seat, single-engine, fifth generation multirole fighters under development to perform ground attack, reconnaissance, and air defense missions with stealth capability...
. - Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) — BAE Corax,
- Standoff missiles (Storm ShadowStorm ShadowStorm Shadow is a British, French and Italian air-launched cruise missile, manufactured by MBDA. Storm Shadow is the British name for the weapon; in French service it is called SCALP EG...
) launched- from next generation strike aircraft
- possibly from large, cheap non-penetrating aircraft (Airbus A400MAirbus A400MThe Airbus A400M, also known as the Atlas, is a multi-national four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft. It was designed by Airbus Military as a tactical airlifter with strategic capabilities. The aircraft's maiden flight, originally planned for 2008, took place on 11 December 2009 in...
)
- Mix of above systems
- BAE TaranisBAE TaranisThe BAE Systems Taranis is a British demonstrator program for Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle technology. A semi-autonomous unmanned warplane, it is designed to fly intercontinental missions, and will carry a variety of weapons, enabling it to attack both aerial and ground targets...
is the likely successor to FOAS.
Contractors
Two industry teams were competing for the contract, one led by BAE SystemsBAE Systems
BAE Systems plc is a British multinational defence, security and aerospace company headquartered in London, United Kingdom, that has global interests, particularly in North America through its subsidiary BAE Systems Inc. BAE is among the world's largest military contractors; in 2009 it was the...
and the other by LogicaCMG
LogicaCMG
Logica is a global IT and management consultancy company headquartered in Reading, United Kingdom.It has a primary listing on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index. It has a secondary listing on Euronext Amsterdam....
.
- BAE Systems team
- Alenia Marconi SystemsAlenia Marconi SystemsAlenia Marconi Systems was a major European integrated defence electronics company and an equal shares joint venture between BAE Systems and Finmeccanica until its dissolution on May 3, 2005....
- Lockheed MartinLockheed MartinLockheed Martin is an American global aerospace, defense, security, and advanced technology company with worldwide interests. It was formed by the merger of Lockheed Corporation with Martin Marietta in March 1995. It is headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, in the Washington Metropolitan Area....
- Northrop GrummanNorthrop GrummanNorthrop Grumman Corporation is an American global aerospace and defense technology company formed by the 1994 purchase of Grumman by Northrop. The company was the fourth-largest defense contractor in the world as of 2010, and the largest builder of naval vessels. Northrop Grumman employs over...
- MBDAMBDAMBDA is a missile developer and manufacturer with operations in France, Britain, Germany, Italy, and the United States. It was formed by a merger of Aérospatiale-Matra Missiles , Finmeccanica and Matra BAe Dynamics in December 2001. In 2003 the company had 10,000 employees...
- EADS AstriumEADS AstriumAstrium Satellites is one of the three business units of Astrium, a subsidiary of EADS. It is a European space manufacturer involved in the manufacture of spacecraft used for science, Earth observation and telecommunication, as well as the equipment and subsystems used therein and related ground...
- Royal Military College of Science
- Alenia Marconi Systems
- LogicaCMG team
- RaytheonRaytheonRaytheon Company is a major American defense contractor and industrial corporation with core manufacturing concentrations in weapons and military and commercial electronics. It was previously involved in corporate and special-mission aircraft until early 2007...
- QinetiQQinetiQQinetiq is a British global defence technology company, formed from the greater part of the former UK government agency, Defence Evaluation and Research Agency , when it was split up in June 2001...
- EADSEADSThe European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company N.V. is a global pan-European aerospace and defence corporation and a leading defence and military contractor worldwide...
- Raytheon