BAE has in its possession one of the single coolest and most terrifying pieces of advanced military hardware in the world: the Taranis stealth drone.
As if that wasn't enough, BAE has just announced that it successfully engaged Taranis in stealth flight allowing it to become utterly undetectable.
Taranis is named, rather appropriately, after the Celtic god of thunder, and honestly, it fits.
This fighter-sized flying Batarang could not look any meaner if it stole your lunch, then cut you up on a motorway whilst also remaining completely invisible to modern radar.
Taranis uses a highly secretive communication technology that allows the pilot to stay in communication with the drone without ever giving away its position.
Costing £185m Taranis will be a testbed for the future of UK unmanned fighter jets, it's capable of not only carrying out surveillance but also engaging in air-to-air combat and air-to-surface combat as well.
Conrad Banks, Rolls-Royce Chief Engineer on the Taranis project added:
“Successful propulsion integration was another key highlight of the second trial phase, with the fully embedded and ‘hidden’ Adour Mk951 engine operating flawlessly coupled with the highly complex and stealthy exhaust system.”
