They released that article on the 04th of April this year.
It you browse through this forum's old threads, you will find a discussion about this project
The existence of a secret programme to produce Britain's own stealth plane has been revealed with the declassification of a single photograph and a short statement.
The craft pictured is full-scale model and was completed in 1999, after five years of work. The £20 million programme, codenamed Replica, was jointly funded by BAE Systems and the UK Ministry of Defence.
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Few details have been released, but BAE Systems says Replica was subjected to a "rigorous test programme", which assessed its cross section on radar. This would be key to evaluating whether the craft had "low observability", i.e. stealth. However, it is not known whether systems to reduce its infra-red, acoustic or visual signatures were used.
Replica was never intended to be as difficult to detect as the exotic and extremely expensive pure stealth aircraft such as the US F-117a and B-2. But UK stealth specialists are said to have achieved their goal of striking a balance between low observability and cost. It also demonstrated British expertise in the complex world of stealth technology.
