HVX Design Concept

In light of the recent Royal Air Force (RAF) Autonomous Collaborative Platform (ACP) Strategy2, RAF Rapid Capabilities Office (RCO is seeking a potential path to developing a high-Mach ACP. Critical to this path will be demonstrating a high-Mach propulsion system architecture (Mach 3+). The Requirement will build on HVX Phase 1 to develop a strategy (via a combination of ground and flight-test activities) to provide a route to an Initial Operational Capability (IOC) 'Y-plane' high-Mach concept.

The focus of the short (3-6 month) planning phase will be to explore alternative programme-delivery approaches that might lead to a potential airborne IOC flight test demonstrator within the next 4 years and future operational capability by 2030.