The legendary Duxford Aerodrome saw the inaugural Spirit of Tempest Awards on the 28th September 2021, hosted by the RAF and Industry Partners, BAES, Rolls Royce, MBDA and Leonardo UK.
Air Commodore Holmes, Head of the Rapid Capabilities Office was present to award Liv Perry the overall Spirit of Tempest Award. The other four other industry winners included; Kat Piggott – Rolls Royce; Alex Robinson – Leonardo UK; Robyn Considine – BAE Systems; and Josh Ellington – MBDA. After the ceremony the winners were all tasked with suiting up for a very special flying experience in some of the classic warbirds at the Aircraft Restoration Company.
The ‘Spirit of Tempest’ Awards are designed to recognise the outstanding achievements of some of the teams and individuals involved in the programme to develop a world-leading Future Combat Air System.
While assets like ground-breaking technology and high-level international partnerships are vital, the senior leaders of the programme have been clear that it should be a ‘people-first’ endeavour.
"Team Tempest draws together over 2000 of the very best people within UK industry and Defence from a broad range of specialisations, backgrounds and experience. Despite all which makes us different, we are united in our common goal to succeed and are guided by the Tempest Core Values of 'Trust, Excellence, Motivation, Partnering, Empowerment, Strategic focus and Timeliness.' These inaugural awards allow us to celebrate those who best embody these values, regardless of their role in our broad team and we are all delighted to share in the success of these incredibly deserving winners."
Wing Commander Welsh
The programme seeks to exploit the UK’s unique industrial base to create a 6th generation combat air enterprise. Only when paired with the brightest minds can game-changing new digital ways of working be maximised to more quickly and efficiently create battle-winning products which can be updated and upgraded over many years, so they stay at the cutting-edge.
The UK is investing over £2 billion in the project over the next four years and recently signed a £250 million contract to kickstart the 'Concept and Assessment Phase.' That contract supports over 2,000 jobs across the country, including around 800 in the North of England. The overall investment will secure the UK’s world-leading industry and create thousands more opportunities – including for apprentices and young talent as the UK looks to inspire a ‘Generation Tempest’ workforce.