BAE Systems urges military to consider used commercial aircraft

BAE Systems has urged military planners in air forces and governments that need to acquire transport aircraft to consider buying used commercial aircraft for conversion to fulfil the roles needed.

Speaking at the Military Airlift Rapid Reaction and Tanker Operations Conference in Seville, Mark Taylor, business director engineering at BAE Systems Regional Aircraft stated that to cover many of the roles required of military transport aircraft it was unnecessary to buy expensive new-build military aircraft when a converted pre-owned commercial aircraft will do the job at a fraction of the cost and especially at a time when defence budgets are being cut.

Citing the example of the UK’s Royal Air Force that has this year taken delivery of two 20-year-old pre-owned BAe 146 C Mk3 passenger/freight aircraft for use in Afghanistan that were converted by an industrial team led by BAE Systems Regional Aircraft Taylor said:

“With defence budgets under severe pressure, the RAF and the UK Ministry of Defence have taken a bold step in recognising that for the tasks required the vast majority of the missions can be accomplished using this cheaper pre-owned alternative. The RAF themselves have said that the vast amount of tasking they are doing is moving around 30-40 soldiers and their kit, for which the BAe 146 C Mk3 is absolutely ideal.”

Depending on the role required the mission fit might vary from some communications and avionics upgrades, to full theatre-fit installations of cockpit armour, fuel tank inerting, missile countermeasures and range extensions, to extensive missions installations such as radars and electronic counter measure suites.

In the case of the BAe 146 the aircraft also has the capability to use unpaved runways, fly steep approaches, operate in hot and high conditions, has high altitude modifications and can operate remotely with integral airstairs, battery engine starts and three-engine ferry.

Concluding, Taylor stated that buying new build aircraft usually involves protracted timescales usually over several years due to low build rates and limited slots on some production lines, whereas with used aircraft, procurement times from decision to acquisition can be measured in weeks.