A top-secret British stealth drone has carried out its first successful test flights, it has been announced.

BAE Systems' Taranis, named after the Celtic god of thunder, was today billed by military chiefs as the most technologically advanced aircraft ever built in the UK.

The project, which has so far cost £185 million - funded jointly by the Ministry of Defence and UK industry - will be able to launch precision strikes in hostile territory while remaining undetected.

The test flight occurred at the Woomera Test Range in South Australia.




Taranis, the most advanced aircraft ever built by British engineers, surpassed all expectations during its first flight trials last year


05 Feb 2014
The Telegraph




A top-secret stealth drone has carried out its first successful test flights, it has been announced.

Taranis, named after the Celtic god of thunder, was today billed by military chiefs as the most technologically advanced aircraft ever built in the UK.

The project, which has so far cost £185 million - funded jointly by the Ministry of Defence and UK industry - will be able to launch precision strikes in hostile territory while remaining undetected.


The RAF's new Taranis stealth drone / BAE Systems

But bosses today said that although the aircraft could fly itself autonomously, it would not be used in that way - and would not be able to set its own missions.

Taranis was first unveiled in July 2010, but has remained classified until now.


BAE Systems has already developed the Mantis (above, at the Farnborough Air Show in 2008 ), the world's first unmanned autonomous aircraft, for the British military and is working on other UAVs


http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/defence/10619378/Successful-test-flight-f...