"
That's from this podcast:"
RAF officer leading concepts/req for Tempest: "at the top of our list is the payload." Irrelevant how it gets to target, he says, but analysis shows fast jet better than cargo plane or sub. "Payload is what we're all about ... we're talking roughly double an F-35 A's worth..."
Tempest as compute hub: "we're going to take the compute...the server rack forward, because if you want low cost autonomous systems ... where's that server going to be if you're deep in enemy territory? So if you want low cost autonomous sys...they need a server to back them up"
On human pilots: "you can't guarantee always that connection [comes] back, which is why right now...we need a human in that quarterback position. We're prepared for the time when [AGI] does catch up. At the moment [LLMs] they're just a stochastic parrot...advanced auto complete"
Tempest range requirement: "we're talking really extreme range...maybe getting across the Atlantic to America on internal fuel—whereas a typhoon is...three or four plugs to get across with a payload—with the sensors, with the compute, but able to do it in a survivable way"
Why not replace sixth-gen fighter with drones? "by the time you've made your long range, high speed...stealthy or ... expendable drone, you probably end up in a cost point, which isn't ... where you'd expect." If it's low cost, sensors also have to go in a re-usable platform.