New RAF fighter jet uses Siri-style voice control and touch screens

Manufacturer Lockheed Martin displayed the cockpit of the F-35 fighter jet in Britain for the first time at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire. Credit: SWNS

The RAF's new F-35 fighter jet will use Siri-style voice control and iPad-style touch screens in its cockpit.

The hi-tech cockpit runs on 8.6 million lines of computer code and has just two iPad-style touch screens.

Voice control similar to Apple's Siri service and a helmet that utilises six cameras are built into the skin of the aircraft to allow the pilot to see through the plane.

The cockpit has just 20 switches for the pilot to touch, making it one of the "easiest planes to fly" and allowing the pilot to focus solely on fighting.

Manufacturer Lockheed Martin displayed the cockpit of the F-35 fighter jet in Britain for the first time at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire. Credit: SWNS

The cockpit of the F-35 fighter jet was displayed in Britain for the first time at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire by US manufacturer Lockheed Martin.

The RAF has ordered 14 of the new jets at £180 million each to replace the already retired Harrier jets.

It is hoped the F-35 will be put into action later this year with three different versions to be manufactured for UK use. Credit: SWNS

Billie Flynn, a senior F-35 test pilot, said: "It's not only fun and geeky and interesting, it makes me drastically more lethal and survivable."

The cockpit has just 20 switches for the pilot to touch, making it one of the "easiest planes to fly". Credit: SWNS

"The pilot's tasks is not flying the jet any more. His task is to go up and be lethal, be effective, in combat," Mr Flynn added.

It is hoped the F-35 will be put into action later this year with three different style planes to be manufactured for UK use - a vertical, short and normal take off version.