Is this the beginning of the end for Lord Flashheart? RAF unveils model of first pilotless plane

Published: 18:51, 16 July 2026 | Updated: 18:51, 16 July 2026 Winston Churchill described their contribution to the Battle of Britain with the immortal words ‘Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few’. While in popular culture the image of dashing fighter pilots living for danger was characterised by Squadron Commander The Lord Flashheart of the Royal Flying Corps in the BBC comedy series Blackadder Goes Forth. Tragically for traditionalists, the few of 1941 may eventually become the none as the Royal Air Force embraces an era of aviation without fighter pilots. In a groundbreaking move, the RAF has unveiled its first pilotless fighter jet spelling the end for those magnificent men in their flying machines. Codenamed StormFighter, the service’s debut autonomous fighter jet will augment and eventually take over from manned RAF Typhoon, F-35 and Tempest aircraft. StormFighter is expected to match the performance capabilities of those aircraft, reaching supersonic speeds of Mach 1.6 and launching precision-guided JDAM and Paveway bombs. The jet is expected to conduct joint operations alongside manned jets by 2030. The swashbuckling Squadron Commander The Lord Flashheart, played by Rik Mayall, leaned into a popular stereotype of carefree pilots living life to the full knowing their next sortie could be their last. Winston Churchill paid tribute to the RAF and Allied heroes of the Battle of Britain famously saying: 'Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few.' The future of the RAF is in unmanned platforms including pilotless fighter jets meaning 'The Few' of the Battle of Britain  will eventually become the none. Speaking at the Global Air and Space Chiefs Conference, Minister for Defence Readiness Luke Pollard announced an initial £300million in development funding for StormFighter. He said: ‘We are maximising our air power in the eye of the storm of future combat, that will be swarming with drones, sixth generation fighter jets and ever evolving Electronic Warfare capabilities. ‘I am delighted to reveal that our new autonomous Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) will be named StormFighter. ‘The future is bright, the future’s Air Force blue. We have pressed go our next phase of autonomous combat air power. ‘That will develop autonomous jets here in the UK providing new levels of lethality and survivability for our crewed jets, acting as both guardian angel and as an attack dog.’ The world’s biggest aviation manufacturers such as BAE Systems and Boeing are expected to compete to produce the stealth fighter that will be faster to build and cheaper than manned fighters. While according to the RAF’s most senior officer, Air Chief Marshal Harv Smyth, unmanned jets should prove their capability by next year and should enter service by the end of the decade. The RAF is accelerating the introduction of unmanned platforms based on lessons learned from the conflict in Ukraine.  Funds for StormFighter – that had previously been slated for the 2030s - were added to the recent Defence Investment Plan (DIP) covering RAF expenditure over the next four years. Britain’s first generation of fighter pilots belonged to the Royal Flying Corps and were christened the ’20-minuters’ – a reflection of, if not an accurate representation of, the average air time of recently qualified UK crews over northern France in 1917 before they were shot down. Their rudimentary aircraft were not equipped with weapons, requiring pilots open fire with rifles and shotguns. Their casualty rate was 80 per cent. Then part of the Army, the Royal Flying Corps was active from 1912 to 1918 when it merged with the Royal Naval Air Service to form the Royal Air Force. More than a century later the RAF is banking on unmanned aircraft to match or overmatch manned platforms flown by peer adversaries. If successful, Storm Fighter will also be adapted to take-off and land from the Royal Navy’s aircraft carriers – providing a cheaper alternative to the current F-35s. Previous RAF unmanned aircraft projects have been abandoned in the early stages but the technology has leaped forward in recent years, particularly due to advances in AI. Just under 3,000 British and allied pilots and aircrew took part in the Battle of Britain from July to October 1940. ‘The Few’ fought off the Luftwaffe to secure a pivotal victory. Some 537 RAF pilots and aircrew were killed. Douglas Bader, the commander of 242 Squadron emerged as a national hero, claiming 22 kills in dogfights despite losing both legs in a pre-war flying accident.