A model of the Excalibur 757 testbed on display at DSEI 2021. (Photo: author)
2Excel Aviation has been issued with a new contract from Leonardo to start Phase 2 of the Tempest flight test aircraft (FTA) programme which will see the company fit a Boeing 757-200 airliner, dubbed Excalibur, with a range of sensors and combat air technologies.
Phase 2 moves FTA on from an initial feasibility phase toward design and build activities, leading on from 2Excel acquiring the 757 in February 2020.
First flight of the modified aircraft has been scheduled for 2023 and will take place from 2Excel’s Lasham, Hampshire, MRO facility.
In a 15 September company statement, Leonardo also explained that Excalibur will be made
Our news & analysis is now part of Defence Insight®
A Basic-level or higher Defence Insight subscription is now required to view this content.
The US Army and USAF are evaluating an AI-enabled imaging capability from Deepnight designed to enhance low-light and no-light operations across multiple platforms and environments.
The fast-tracked emergency approvals come as the conflict in the Middle East stretches out into its third month, after Iranian attacks depleted US allies’ missile stockpiles and testing air defence systems.
As militaries face an overwhelming flow of data, the challenge is shifting from collection to delivering fast, actionable insights that drive decision-making. Advances in AI and data integration are helping armed forces move beyond siloed systems to generate real-time intelligence across domains and allies.
SAHA 2026 brings global defence and aerospace leaders to Istanbul for partnerships, launches, panels and high-value meetings.
In a partnership with Emesent, Teledyne FLIR will equip its autonomous air, ground and detection systems with the Hovermap LiDAR payload in a move that highlights a broader market shift towards modular architectures, shared payloads and interoperability across platforms.
The Pentagon’s proposed budget for the next fiscal year includes an impressive increase in the procurement of interceptors, with the number of the US Army’s PAC-3 MSE rounds expanding by 683%, the US Navy’s Standard Missile by 365% and the MDA’s SM-3 IIA by more than 1,000%.
Connect with us on socials
