British RAF will introduce French Falcon 900LX for VIP transportation
A Royal Air Force BAe146 C Mk3 is pictured at Camp Bastion in Afghanistan as a sandstorm looms in the background.
The RAF BAe146 C Mk 3, from RAF Northolts 32 (The Royal) Squadron.
The Dassault Falcon has been chosen to replace the recently retired BAE 146 aircraft operated by the RAF, reported Janes. The Falcon 900LX is the successor to the Falcon 900EX, which debuted in 1996. French aircraft aerospace giant Dassault Aviation is responsible for its production.
On Feb. 8, MOD announced a GBP80 million (USD109 million) order for two Falcon 900LX aircraft with a Bristol-based supplier Centreline providing the tri-jets. The new aircraft will be allocated to RAF’s 32 Squadron (The Royal).
The Falcon 900LX tri-jet is the latest development of the 900 series, it incorporating blended winglets and can combine both short and long flight segments during a single mission, able to fly 8800 km (4750 nm) non-stop.
Two years ago the UK’s Ministry of Defense (MOD) had mooted the idea of retiring the BAE 146 aircraft that was being used exclusively for VIP transport. Last year, the MOD officially confirmed that it was going to replace its four Royal Air Force BAE 146 planes with two civil business jets.
“The contract with Centreline, placed by Defense Equipment and Support (DE&S) – the MoD’s procurement arm – includes the purchase of two Dassault 900LX aircraft and two years of initial support, plus three option years if required,” the ministry said, adding, “[The] Dassault 900LX was successful in this competition as the standout candidate in performance, cost value, and time requirements”.
The development comes shortly after the MoD announced last month that two BAE146 Mk2 aircraft were to join the British Airliner Collection in Duxford, Cambridgeshire, and the South Wales Aviation Museum in St Athan, South Glamorgan as the latest exhibits. It had also informed that the other two aircraft, the BAE146 Mk3 that entered service with the RAF in 2013 are also being retired and sold to a civilian operator.
The Falcon 900LX aircraft will be operated by a mixed crew of civilian and RAF personnel at first, according to the MoD. It will be modified with missile jamming devices and military communications once RAF takes over its operation completely.
The Royal or 32 Squadron, based at RAF Northolt in north London, historically flew two BAE 146 C2s in the fixed-wing VVIP role (with another two converted for tactical transport missions) until March 2021, when the aircraft was discontinued.
The Falcon 900LX is being purchased as part of the Command Support Air Transport Recapitalization (CSAT RECAP) project, which intends to replace the BAE 146 capabilities through a two-phase procurement approach.
The tender of the project had categorically mentioned that these aircraft will be owned by the Ministry of Defense, but they will be treated as civilian planes and piloted by civilians provided by contractors.
Phase one would entail the training of military pilots and cabin crew, as well as the utilization of these service members to assist civilian pilots in delivering the service.
In the second phase, a separate competitive procurement will be initiated to implement military modifications on the aircraft beginning April 1, 2024, and provision of in-service support involving military personnel in the operation of the aircraft.