The UK’s Ministry of Defence was pioneering an approach to building its next-generation Tempest fighter—by recycling retired Tornado jets. Instead of sourcing expensive foreign materials, old fighter jet parts are ground into a titanium-rich powder used for 3D printing new aircraft components.
Rolls-Royce has successfully tested these parts in an Orpheus engine, proving their viability. This initiative not only reduces costs but also strengthens supply chain resilience. With Italy and Japan also involved, the Tempest program is set to revolutionize sustainable aircraft manufacturing, with a planned first flight in 2026 and entry into service by 2035.
While this approach might sound crazy, it actually reduces the country’s reliance on foreign-sourced materials and points toward some incredible new ways to recycle old aircraft.
Introduced as a response to lingering concerns about how the global market for vital materials could be impacted by large-scale war between great powers, this is an area of increasing focus for the Future Combat Air Systems (FCAS) program. The FCAS is Britain’s overarching effort that includes the development of the crewed Tempest fighter.
“Through the expected lifecycle of the U.K.’s FCAS, we expect access to critical materials to be challenged, as global supply chains become increasingly disrupted and competitive. In parallel, there is a societal need to make the best use of the raw materials we already have,” explained the Future Combat Air System’s Sustainability Requirements Manager, identified only as “Squadron Leader Rob.”
To achieve this, rather than just scrapping old Tornado GR4s that were retired from active service in 2019 and then sourcing all the high-quality raw materials needed for the new Tempest fighter program from foreign countries, the U.K. will simply yank parts off of those old Tornados and feed them into an industrial grinder to produce a powder, called “feedstock.” This powder can then be used by industrial 3D printers to produce new components for new fighters.
The British Ministry of Defense, is collaborating with Rolls Royce in the effort.
In testing so far, Tornado engine compressor blades, which include a high quantity of titanium, were cleaned, ground up, and then used to 3D print a new nosecone and compressor blades for “Orpheus” the small engine Rolls Royce has in testing to mature technologies for the Tempest program.
With its new 3D-printed component, the Orpheus engine was then put through the wringer and managed to pass all suitability and safety tests.

“Tornado 2 Tempest is a bold, exciting and innovative project and a demonstration of how excellent collaboration between the MOD, industry and SME can deliver sustainable and technologically advanced solutions,” said Andrew Eady, Rolls-Royce Vice President for FCAS Sustainability.
This same recycling and 3D-printing process can be used for steel and aluminum components as well, which would further reduce waste, and allow the U.K. to have to mine and process fewer raw materials in the future.
“Not only can this solution reduce the costs and burden of sourcing critical and high-value metals, but it can also produce components that are lighter, strong and longer lasting than those made through traditional forging techniques, thereby further enhancing the MOD’s overall sustainability and effectiveness,” Thomas Powell, DRDT’s Strategic & Submarine Recycling Senior Commercial Manager, said in a Rolls Royce press release.
Construction of the first Tempest technology demonstrator began 2024, and the U.K., Italy, and Japan, which are also partner countries in the program, are hoping to see the aircraft make its first test flight in 2026, with the goal of getting these fighters into service by 2035.

NASA’s X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft has officially begun taxi tests, marking the first time this one-of-a-kind experimental aircraft has moved under its own power. NASA’s experimental X-59 jet is designed to fly faster than sound but also dampen the sonic “boom.”

Despite schedule delays in the early 2020s, the X-59 was delivered to NASA for flight testing in January 2025. Ground tests, including low-speed taxiing, began in mid-July, with a maiden flight expected later that year.

On July 18, 2025, NASA’s experimental X-59 supersonic research aircraft basked in golden light on the ramp at Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works facility before being put through a series of ground tests.

The X-59 Quesst (Quiet SuperSonic Technology) is an experimental aircraft developed by Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works for NASA, designed to achieve supersonic speeds with dramatically reduced noise, transforming the traditional sonic “boom” into a softer “thump.”

NASA test pilot Nils Larson and the X-59 team, made up of NASA and contractor Lockheed Martin personnel, completed the aircraft’s first low-speed taxi test at U.S. Air Force Plant 42 in Palmdale, California, on July 10, 2025.

Nils Larson is set to serve as pilot for first flight, with X-59’s crew chiefs – Matt Arnold from X-59 contractor Lockheed Martin and Juan Salazar from NASA.

The X-59’s life support system is designed to deliver oxygen at the aircraft’s cruising altitude of 55,000 feet. Larson will also wear a g-suit, similar to what fighter pilots wear.

The X-59 features an ejection seat and canopy adapted from a U.S. Air Force T-38 trainer, which comes equipped with essentials like a first aid kit, radio, and water.

The taxiing represents the X-59’s last series of ground tests before first flight. Over the coming weeks, the aircraft will gradually increase its speed, leading up to a high-speed taxi test that will take the aircraft just short of the point where it would take off.

During the low-speed tests, engineers and flight crews monitored how the X-59 handled as it moved across the runway, working to validate critical systems like steering and braking. These checks help ensure the aircraft’s stability and control across a range of conditions, giving pilots and engineers confidence that all systems are functioning as expected.

The X-59 is the centerpiece of NASA’s Quesst mission, which aims to demonstrate quiet supersonic flight by reducing the loud sonic boom to a quieter “thump.” Data gathered from the X-59 will be shared with U.S. and international regulators to inform the establishment of new, data-driven acceptable noise thresholds related to supersonic commercial flight over land.

Lockheed Martin Skunk Works in partnership with NASA, successfully completed the first flight of the X-59. The X-59 took off from Skunk Works’ facility at U.S. Air Force Plant 42 in Palmdale, California, before landing near NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California. The X-59 performed exactly as planned, verifying initial flying qualities and air data performance on the way to a safe landing at its new home.

Skunk Works will continue to lead the aircraft’s initial flight test campaign, working closely with NASA to expand the X-59’s flight envelope over the coming months. Part of this test journey will include the X-59’s first supersonic flights, where the aircraft will achieve the optimal speed and altitude for a quiet boom. This will enable NASA to operate the X-59 to measure its sound signature and conduct community acceptance testing.

For more than a decade, Lockheed Martin Skunk Works and NASA have collaborated. Lockheed Martin Skunk Works is leading the design, build and flight test of the X-59 quiet supersonic technology (QueSST) X-plane. The technology demonstrator will be flown over populated areas to provide U.S. and international regulators with statistically valid data required to help approve new rules that could allow quiet commercial supersonic flight over land.