Farnborough 2026: BAE Systems preparing to meet UK Storm Fighter CCA requirement

BAE Systems' Autonomous Collaborative Platform (ACP) loyal wingman concept flying alongside a Eurofighter Typhoon in this Farnborough International Airshow 2026 concept display. (Janes/Gareth Jennings)

BAE Systems is preparing to meet the UK's recently named StormFighter requirement to develop and field collaborative combat aircraft (CCAs) to fly alongside its fourth-, fifth-, and sixth-generation fighters, a senior official told Janes and other defence media ahead of the Farnborough International Airshow 2026.

Speaking at the BAE Systems' Warton facility in northern England, Business Development Director FalconWorks, Anthony Gregory said that the company has been maturing a number of different concepts over recent years, ahead of an anticipated requirement from the Ministry of Defence (MoD) that subsequently appeared in the Defence Investment Plan (DIP) 2026 published on 30 June.

“We have been working a lot on concepts around CCAs,” Gregory said, adding, “We continue to mature that work, and we will be making more announcements on that later as we go through the year.” In UK parlance, CCAs are also often referred to as Autonomous Collaborative Platforms (ACPs).

The UK has three primary CCA requirements across the Royal Air Force (RAF), Royal Navy (RN), and British Army. The RAF is seeking ‘loyal wingman' CCAs to operate alongside its Eurofighter Typhoon and Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning combat aircraft in the first instance, and later the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP) product which is likely to be called Tempest. The RN has Project Vanquish which aims to put a CCA aboard its two Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers as part of a wider hybrid air wing, while the British Army has Project Nyx that will develop a CCA to augment its Boeing AH-64E Apache Guardian manned attack helicopter.