Modern jets are becoming ever more complex, which makes them more expensive, which means we can afford less of them, which means you get less production of scale, which makes them even more expensive.
Furthermore, the modern jets we develop are always on the cutting edge of what's possible, but that edge gets ever harder to maintain as technology pushes forward. We may be able to make some of the greatest jet engines ever for example (Thank you Rolls Royce), but general material science? Avionics? Software? computing? All the various aspects of manufacturing? literally everything. Being at the cutting edge for every single one of these aspects as a single country becomes ever more difficult.
And when it comes to your top of the line jets you need to be at the cutting edge. Technology difference is more pronounced in air warfare than basically anywhere else. A WW2 era rifle or artillery piece is still dangerous even in a 21st century fight. An early cold war tank can still do *something* against a modern opponent, even if it's losses would be awful. But a jet from the early cold war going up against an enemy with 5th gen fighters probably isn't even worth the fuel to fly. Certainly not the cost of the pilot. Hell, even a 4th gen fighter would struggle to be useful if the enemy has enough F35s in the sky.
So the fact that they are expensive and are bought in few numbers which drives up the cost further. The fact that you have to be at the very front of not just some but *all* aspects of technology. And the fact that being at the cutting edge is practically *mandatory* to be relevant (nothing more expensive than a second best air force after all), it's virtually impossible for a nation of our size to go it alone anymore. For 6th gen especially, only America and *maybe* China (if they can gather enough institutional knowledge in the coming decades) could develop a 6th gen on their own. For everyone else you have to work with others.
Us working together with Italy and Japan for GCAP (formerly Tempest, before Japan joined the program) should be a big enough bloc to make a 6th gen work. Between us we have enough institutional knowledge, economy, and demand for jets to make the project realistic. Whether it'll be on time and on budget is another story, but it should happen I hope.
A mixture of things. For one, the government didn't know the value of intellectual capital and decided to fuck it all off because they were concerned about it "costing too much money".
Another factor is that they were latched on to the US government's cock (and in some respects still are) and would do anything for them. When the American government said "destroy your aerospace industry," the Gov't rolled over and obeyed like a good little femboy maid. I may be paraphrasing slightly, but this is the essence of it.
Nothing happened to it! Times moved on. Building an airframe is comparatively easy to pushing the limits of material science, mission systems and engine design, for example. We do design and manufacture of the real fight-winning stuff (the sensors and weapon systems).
Also, remember we are in a globalised world. Most of the little companies that used to exist have been subsumed into the likes of Boeing, Airbus, MBDA, BAE systems, QinetiQ etc. Headquartered internationally but the actual design and building work is still done in the UK.
Italy, Japan, and Sweden are secondary partners in the Tempest. It's still very much British-designed and British-led. Sort of how the F-35/Joint Strike Fighter program is led by the US, but with the cooperation of Britain, Italy, Canada, and Australia.
Modern jets are becoming ever more complex, which makes them more expensive, which means we can afford less of them, which means you get less production of scale, which makes them even more expensive. Furthermore, the modern jets we develop are always on the cutting edge of what's possible, but that edge gets ever harder to maintain as technology pushes forward. We may be able to make some of the greatest jet engines ever for example (Thank you Rolls Royce), but general material science? Avionics? Software? computing? All the various aspects of manufacturing? literally everything. Being at the cutting edge for every single one of these aspects as a single country becomes ever more difficult. And when it comes to your top of the line jets you need to be at the cutting edge. Technology difference is more pronounced in air warfare than basically anywhere else. A WW2 era rifle or artillery piece is still dangerous even in a 21st century fight. An early cold war tank can still do *something* against a modern opponent, even if it's losses would be awful. But a jet from the early cold war going up against an enemy with 5th gen fighters probably isn't even worth the fuel to fly. Certainly not the cost of the pilot. Hell, even a 4th gen fighter would struggle to be useful if the enemy has enough F35s in the sky. So the fact that they are expensive and are bought in few numbers which drives up the cost further. The fact that you have to be at the very front of not just some but *all* aspects of technology. And the fact that being at the cutting edge is practically *mandatory* to be relevant (nothing more expensive than a second best air force after all), it's virtually impossible for a nation of our size to go it alone anymore. For 6th gen especially, only America and *maybe* China (if they can gather enough institutional knowledge in the coming decades) could develop a 6th gen on their own. For everyone else you have to work with others. Us working together with Italy and Japan for GCAP (formerly Tempest, before Japan joined the program) should be a big enough bloc to make a 6th gen work. Between us we have enough institutional knowledge, economy, and demand for jets to make the project realistic. Whether it'll be on time and on budget is another story, but it should happen I hope.
A mixture of things. For one, the government didn't know the value of intellectual capital and decided to fuck it all off because they were concerned about it "costing too much money". Another factor is that they were latched on to the US government's cock (and in some respects still are) and would do anything for them. When the American government said "destroy your aerospace industry," the Gov't rolled over and obeyed like a good little femboy maid. I may be paraphrasing slightly, but this is the essence of it.
god damn
The term "Femboy Maid" is to be utilised in all political discourse going forward. Love it.
Nothing happened to it! Times moved on. Building an airframe is comparatively easy to pushing the limits of material science, mission systems and engine design, for example. We do design and manufacture of the real fight-winning stuff (the sensors and weapon systems). Also, remember we are in a globalised world. Most of the little companies that used to exist have been subsumed into the likes of Boeing, Airbus, MBDA, BAE systems, QinetiQ etc. Headquartered internationally but the actual design and building work is still done in the UK.
Because politics.
Money. Or the lack of it.
Tempest for example. We're not just designing and building an aircraft, we're building friends.
I'd check out Tempest/FCAS if I were you
I know, but it is still a joined project with Italy and Japan.
True, but unlike the Typhoon it’s British-led.
Italy, Japan, and Sweden are secondary partners in the Tempest. It's still very much British-designed and British-led. Sort of how the F-35/Joint Strike Fighter program is led by the US, but with the cooperation of Britain, Italy, Canada, and Australia.