×
Aircraft / Aviation Vehicles & Artillery Small Arms Warships & Submarines Military Ranks Military Pay Scale (2024) Special Forces

Britten-Norman Defender


Reconnaissance / Transport / Patrol Aircraft


United Kingdom | 1989



"The Britten-Norman Defender was developed from the similar Britten-Norman Islander transport aircraft to serve in the military utility transport role."

Power & Performance
Those special qualities that separate one aircraft design from another. Performance specifications presented assume optimal operating conditions for the Britten-Norman BN2T-4S Defender 4000 Reconnaissance / Transport / Patrol Aircraft.
2 x Allison 250-B17F turboprop engines driving three-bladed propeller units.
Propulsion
225 mph
362 kph | 195 kts
Max Speed
24,934 ft
7,600 m | 5 miles
Service Ceiling
437 miles
703 km | 380 nm
Operational Range
1,250 ft/min
381 m/min
Rate-of-Climb
Structure
The nose-to-tail, wingtip-to-wingtip physical qualities of the Britten-Norman BN2T-4S Defender 4000 Reconnaissance / Transport / Patrol Aircraft.
2
(MANNED)
Crew
35.9 ft
10.93 m
O/A Length
49.0 ft
(14.93 m)
O/A Width
13.8 ft
(4.20 m)
O/A Height
4,998 lb
(2,267 kg)
Empty Weight
8,499 lb
(3,855 kg)
MTOW
Armament
Available supported armament and special-mission equipment featured in the design of the Britten-Norman Defender Reconnaissance / Transport / Patrol Aircraft .
Mission-specific but can include a combination of the following across four underwing hardpoints:

Conventional Drop Bombs
Air-to-Surface Missiles
7.62mm Machine Gun Pods
Rocket Pods
Reconnaissance Pods and Equipment
2,500lbs in External Fuel Tanks
Variants
Notable series variants as part of the Britten-Norman Defender family line.
BN2T "Defender" - Base Utility Transport Variant
BN2T-4S "Defender 4000" - Surveillance Platform; enlarged wing area and nose assembly; FLIR; GPS; increased weights.
BN2T "Maritime Defender" - Maritime Patrol and General Reconnaissance Platform.
Defender AL1 - British Army Designation
Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 08/05/2019 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site; No A.I. was used in the generation of this content.

The Britten-Norman Defender is a militarized version of the successful Britten-Norman Islander twin turboprop-powered aircraft. The Islander originated in the 1960s and became a global entity, seeing over 1,200 examples produced and delivered by the end of her tenure. Within these orders, the type proved versatile enough to handle a wide range of sortie requirements that only served to strengthen her legacy as a durable Short Take-Off and Landing (STOL) airframe. Following financial difficulties, Britten-Islander was bought by a pair of Omani business men (brothers in the Zawawi family) and formed into B-N Group. Both the Islander and the Defender continue to be marketed today under various product faces to enhance her reach. The Islander/Defender replaced the Beaver in the British Army inventory and is only one of two types of fixed-wing aircraft currently in service with the Army Air Corps.

The Defender has since served in a variety of roles including that of counter-insurgency (extensively so during Northern Ireland operations), reconnaissance, surveillance and utility light transport. Among other sortie types in the Defender's forte became light attack and forward air control (FAC) when necessary. The Defender has proven a capable and robust platform since her inception into service leading to the "Maritime Defender" - a designation covering the armed maritime version of the base Defender multi-role utility transport. The Defender was officially added to the ranks of the British Army on March 10th, 1989.

Design is wholly utilitarian and is most characteristically defined by the high-mounted monoplane wings. Each wing maintains an Allison 250-B17F turboprop engine powering a three-bladed propeller. The cockpit compartment is held well forward in the squared off fuselage with slab sides and features a useful sloped nose for improved downward visibility. The undercarriage is a conventional tricycle arrangement and made up of two double-tired main landing gear legs and a single-tired nose landing gear leg - as a whole, the undercarriage is non-retractable. The empennage is dominated by a single large-area vertical tail fin clipped at the top and sporting some sweep along the leading edge. Horizontal tailplanes are affixed to the vertical fin tail. Typical accommodations are for two pilots and up to six passengers. Entry/exit is via side doors, two forward and two aft. Her gross weight is listed at 7,000lbs. Each wing can field four hardpoints for various munition options to include gun pods, rocket pods and bombs if need be or external fuel tanks for extended loitering times and operational range. Specialized reconnaissance and surveillance mounts are fitted with applicable tailored equipment, cameras and jamming pods as well as a bevy communications options. Airborne Early Warning (AEW) Defenders sport a hideous-looking nose radome that quickly identifies the type and its role.

In 2003, the UK military purchased three (some sources state four) Defenders to help with the deteriorating conditions in Iraq following the 2003 coalition invasion. These aircraft carried the designation of Defender 4S AL Mk 1 and sported underwing dispensers to protect against surface-to-air guided munitions. This model was furthered defined by the implementation of an electro-optical turret under the extreme end of the nose.

The Defender 4000 is the current military version of the Defender series and first flight of this system was achieved in August of 1994. The Defender 4000 features a larger wing component similar to that of the Trislander and operates with increased weight tolerances. Her engines are more powerful than previous versions and she sports an enlarged nose section for the fitting of search radar. Top speed is a reported 225 miles per hour.

Content ©MilitaryFactory.com; No Reproduction Permitted.
Operators
Global customers who have evaluated and/or operated the Britten-Norman Defender. Nations are displayed by flag, each linked to their respective national aircraft listing.

Total Production: 35 Units

Contractor(s): Britten-Norman - UK
National flag of Denmark National flag of Ireland National flag of Morocco National flag of Pakistan National flag of the Philippines National flag of the United Kingdom National flag of the United States

[ Denmark; Ireland; Mauritius; Morocco; Pakistan; Philippines; United Kingdom; United States ]
1 / 1
Image of the Britten-Norman Defender
Image copyright www.MilitaryFactory.com; No Reproduction Permitted.

Going Further...
The Britten-Norman Defender Reconnaissance / Transport / Patrol Aircraft appears in the following collections:
HOME
AVIATION INDEX
AIRCRAFT BY COUNTRY
AIRCRAFT MANUFACTURERS
COMPARE AIRCRAFT
AIRCRAFT BY CONFLICT
AIRCRAFT BY TYPE
AIRCRAFT BY DECADE
COLD WAR AIRCRAFT
MODERN AIRCRAFT
Disclaimer | Privacy Policy | Cookies

2024 Military Pay Scale Military Ranks of the World U.S. Department of Defense Dictionary Conversion Calculators Military Alphabet Code Military Map Symbols Breakdown U.S. 5-Star Generals List WWII Weapons by Country World War Next

The "Military Factory" name and MilitaryFactory.com logo are registered ® U.S. trademarks protected by all applicable domestic and international intellectual property laws. All written content, illustrations, and photography are unique to this website (unless where indicated) and not for reuse/reproduction in any form. Material presented throughout this website is for historical and entertainment value only and should not to be construed as usable for hardware restoration, maintenance, or general operation. We do not sell any of the items showcased on this site. Please direct all other inquiries to militaryfactory AT gmail.com. No A.I. was used in the generation of this content.

Part of a network of sites that includes GlobalFirepower, a data-driven property used in ranking the top military powers of the world, WDMMA.org (World Directory of Modern Military Aircraft), WDMMW.org (World Directory of Modern Military Warships), SR71blackbird.org, detailing the history of the world's most iconic spyplane, and MilitaryRibbons.info, cataloguing military medals and ribbons. Special Interest: RailRoad Junction, the locomotive encyclopedia.


©2024 www.MilitaryFactory.com • All Rights Reserved • Content ©2003-2024 (21yrs)