Team Tempest Engages with Scottish Industry

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Team Tempest continues to engage with UK industry on the opportunities available in delivering the UK’s next generation combat air system with a virtual briefing session to Scottish industry earlier, hosted with ADS Group. This session follows on from a similar event held for Northern Ireland industry late last year. More than 150 representatives from enterprises across Scotland dialled in to hear from Jeremy Quin MP, Minister for Defence Procurement, Air Chief Marshal Sir Michael Wigston and other senior leaders from the Tempest endeavour as well as Minister for Business, Fair Work and Skills, Jamie Hepburn MSP.

“The Tempest programme is an important opportunity for industrial collaboration bringing together skills and expertise from every part of the UK. Today’s briefing bringing together Team Tempest and the Scottish Government with Scottish industry is a valuable initiative that will help businesses understand how they can contribute to this exciting programme. Tempest will create high-value export opportunities with our international allies and partners. It will drive future investment in the UK’s world-class defence aerospace sector and develop many highly skilled jobs that are at the heart of the advanced engineering sector,” said ADS Chief Executive Paul Everitt.

The core Team Tempest Industry Partners and the RAF Rapid Capabilities Office are working in radical ways to develop world-leading capability, with a focus on affordability and efficiency. The briefings provided to Scottish industry today showcased how companies can contribute and collaborate with Team Tempest.

A large part of the Tempest endeavour is already in Scotland at Leonardo’s Edinburgh site. Over 2,000 people work on-site, with key projects including the development of radar and laser technology for the Tempest combat air system.

Team Tempest is transforming traditional relationships with partners and widening the endeavour to bring in the very best of UK capability and expertise from both inside and outside of defence. There are currently more than 600 organisations delivering across Tempest, including SMEs and academia. Leading the way in Scotland, Leonardo has a three-way research partnership with the University of Edinburgh and Heriot-Watt University which has led to multiple PhD and EngD research programmes for students and Leonardo staff, as well as a degree apprenticeship partnership with the University of Strathclyde. Meanwhile, BAE Systems has worked with the University of Strathclyde on hyperspectral imaging, which is a key part of gaining critical situational awareness from aircraft sensors. The Company also supports and provides funding to PhD studies including Enhanced Long-Range Sensing capability.