MOD reveal pilotless £142.5m jet prototype Taranis

The Ministry of Defence has revealed a prototype jet that could pave a new flightpath in modern combat. The £142.5m jet, named Taranis after the Norse god of thunder, doesn't require a pilot and has been named the “pinnacle” of British engineering and aerospace design.

The size of a light aircraft and almost invisible to ground radar Taranis can travel at jet speed and cover extremely large distances. Taranis is capable of both combat and surveillance equipped with bombs, missiles and onboard sensors.

Controlled via satellite (so no worries of your remote control plane controller operating on the same frequency) it can be piloted remotely from anywhere in the world and has potential for long-range strikes.

Experts reckon its as advanced as anything the US has made and that its at the forefront of world technology. It certainly is good to seen an impressive piece of British engineering again especially one that could be so revolutionary in combat, imagine a war fought from armchairs with skills more common to gamers than pilots.

Of course if the plane does actually enter service it will be at the hands of a highly trained crew and not someone who has spent a thousand hours flying planes on Battlefield 2. It would be great to see it in the air though, with its flying saucer-like appearance it's bound to send a few UFO spotters to their blogs.