British Aerospace Company Offers a Sneak Peek at Killer Stealth Drone Taranis

(July 12) -- A British aerospace company today unveiled what could be the next generation of unmanned aerial vehicles: an armed drone that can slip undetected over a country's border and attack deep inside enemy territory.

Called Taranis, after the Celtic god of thunder and lightning, the stealthy drone is designed to evade radar and penetrate a country's air-defense system. It is being developed by BAE Systems and funded by the U.K. government.

Taranis has been under development for several years now, and the public debut -- which took place a week before the United Kingdom's Farnborough Air Show -- was designed to draw attention to the British aerospace industry. British Defense Minister Gerald Howarth described the aircraft as a "truly trailblazing project" that showcases U.K. technology, the BBC reported.

Taramis, the prototype of an unmanned combat aircraft

BAE Systems / Ministry of Defence / AP

A British company unveiled an unmanned combat aircraft called the Taranis on Monday.

However, Taranis is still years away from seeing combat, possibly more than a decade. It has also, like many military projects, suffered from delays: The drone was supposed to start test flights this year, but work was delayed after engineers had trouble with the engine, according to Aviation Week.

Taranis is designed for conflicts with countries with technologically advanced militaries, according to Steve Zaloga, a senior analyst at the Teal Group, a Virginia consulting firm.

"The current UAVs [unmanned aerial vehicles], like the Reaper or Predator, are sitting ducks in a high-intensity war, in a country that has modern surface-to-air-missiles," Zaloga told AOL News.

Something like the Taranis, on the other hand, would not be needed in Afghanistan. "The Taliban," Zaloga said, "doesn't have sophisticated air-defense missiles."