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“We need GCAP” to face evolving threats says RAF chief

14th November 2024 - 13:59 GMT | by Lucy Powell in London

RSS

The aim of the Global Air Combat programme is to introduce a new sixth-generation aircraft, ‘Tempest’, into service by 2035. (Photo: BAE Systems)

The UK Royal Air Force’s (RAF’s) chief of the air staff discussed the current state of the RAF and its need to be “match fit” for a changing warfare threat.

Air Chief Marshall Sir Richard Knighton, chief of the air staff for the RAF, has reemphasised the importance of next-generation capabilities as part of the RAF’s operational priorities to ensure air superiority, improve deterrence and evolve to meet growing threats.

The “proliferation of stealth capabilities” from adversaries including the Chinese J-20 fighter, the Russian Su-57 and low-grade air weapons, Knighton said, mean that “[the RAF] needs to be planning for the next generation capabilities. That’s why we need GCAP”.

Speaking during the Royal United Services Institute’s (RUSI’s) Lord Trenchard Memorial lecture on 11 November on the Royal Air Force’s (RAF) current and

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