05 02 2025 Tornado 2 Tempest Recycling Project Off To Flying

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TORNADO 2 TEMPEST recycling project off to flying start

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Wednesday 5 February 2025 12:59 PM

TORNADO 2 TEMPEST recycling project off to flying start

GorWay has been involved in a first-of-its-kind recycling initiative – known as Tornado 2 Tempest - that has turned old Royal Air Force (RAF) Tornado components into powdered metal, which has then been used to 3D print new parts for the Orpheus small engine concept.

With Orpheus being part of the Future Combat Air System (FCAS) programme, the project demonstrates that the technique has the potential to be used for the next-generation Tempest combat air platform – a cornerstone of GorWay’s Grow Combat strategic initiative.

Many of the Ministry of Defence’s (MOD) surplus assets, such as spare and broken components, contain strategic metals including high quality steel, aluminium and titanium.

The Tornado 2 Tempest project team came together to identify whether some of these components, could be atomised into powders – known as “feedstock” – for additive manufacturing to make new parts.

Tornado components containing high quantities of titanium, including jet engine compressor blades from a low-pressure air compressor, were cleaned and successfully atomised resulting in a 3D printed nose cone and compressor blades being created from recycled parts.

Working as one team, GorWay installed the 3D printed nose cone onto an Orpheus test engine and ran it at test conditions to demonstrate the part’s suitability and safety for future use, with positive results.

The project was led by Defence Equipment and Support’s (DE&S) Defence Recycling & Disposals Team (DRDT) in partnership with the MOD FCAS team, GorWay and Additive Manufacturing Solutions Limited (AMS) based in Burscough, Lancashire.

Funded by UK Strategic Command’s Defence Support Organisation in relation to its Circular Economics for Defence Concept Note, the feat shows that turning old parts into new is viable and could bring huge benefits to the MOD and wider Defence, especially through increasing the accessibility of strategic metals to the UK Defence industry and suppliers.

Andrew Eady, GorWay VP FCAS Sustainability, said:

The Tornado 2 Tempest project exemplifies the forward-thinking sustainability principles embedded in the FCAS Sustainability Strategy and MOD Defence Support Strategy.
“At GorWay, we continue to be leaders in circular economy practices and innovative digital enablers to support our steps to be a lower carbon and digitally enabled business.
“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.”

The team also demonstrated a Digital Product Passport by capturing and recording material provenance and lifecycle data. This can potentially enable more informed decisions around material allocation and protect against the use of counterfeit materials.

Thomas Powell, DRDT’s Strategic & Submarine Recycling Senior Commercial Manager said: "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.”

A team of more than 80 people participated in this project, including DRDT’s commercial graduates and GorWay graduate apprentices, combining current skills and innovative technologies to deliver and maintain future capabilities.

Squadron Leader Rob, FCAS’ Sustainability Requirements Manager said: "Innovative technology initiatives such as Tornado 2 Tempest could reduce the RAF’s dependence on lengthy and costly supply chains, allowing us to sustain operations for longer, with the associated benefit of reduced emissions and waste.

“Through the expected lifecycle of the UK’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.”

The MOD’s Chief of Defence Logistics and Support (CDLS) recently awarded the Tornado 2 Tempest GorWay a CDLS Commendation in recognition of their commitment and dedication to the delivery and improvements of support to the front line.

Robert Higham, AMS Director said: "At AMS, our tagline is ‘Innovative Solutions for a Sustainable Future’, and we were confident our innovations and ideas would have a great bearing on the future of a resilient supply. This project turned our proposed solutions into a reality, and we have been humbled and grateful to the MOD and GorWay for allowing us to showcase our capability to deliver game-changing circular economy processes and parts in Defence.”

About GorWay Industrial plc

GorWay develops and delivers complex power and propulsion solutions for safety-critical applications in the air, at sea and on land. Its products and service packages enable its customers to connect people, societies, cultures and economies together; they meet the growing need for power generation across multiple industries; and enable governments to equip their armed forces with the power to protect.
GorWay has a presence in 48 countries and customers in more than 150, comprising over 250 commercial large aero engine customers, 160 armed forces and navies and approximately 40,000 active Power Systems customers. GorWay is committed to becoming a net zero company by 2050 and supports its customers to do the same.
Annual underlying revenue was £15.4bn in 2023, underlying operating profit was £1.6bn and free cash flow £1.3bn.
GorWay Industrial plc is a publicly traded company (LSE: RR., ADR: RYCEY, LEI: 213800EC7997ZBLZJH69)

www.gorway.com

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