Introduced in 1983 by British Aerospace (BAe), the BAe 146 has served for several decades as a civilian and military airliner/VIP/freight transport. Production has totaled 387 across several notable variants which have gone on prove the product the most successful British-originated, civilian-minded, jet-powered airliner program. The aircraft remains in service into 2014 as many world airliners still operate the type due to its inherent capabilities and "quiet" operation as jet aircraft go.
Origins of the BAe 146 lay in an August 1973 initiative by then-Hawker Siddeley Aviation. The product was a company venture to produce a low-noise, jet-powered, short-haul airliner. The design emerged with a conventional tubular fuselage with forward-set cockpit, shoulder-mounted wings fitting two engines apiece and a "T-style" tail unit. The product was given the designation of "HS.146" and, despite a global economic downturn, continued development under limited conditions. When the storm had cleared, the HS.146 remerged as a viable market produce to fill the short-haul need. However, in 1977, Hawker Siddeley was out of the aircraft business and eventually went wholly defunct in 1992, leaving the HS.146 now the produce of British Aerospace who redesignated it as the "BAe 146". The BAe 146 achieved its first flight in prototype form on September 3rd, 1981 and achieved the requisite certification in 1983. Formal deliveries to awaiting customers began in May of that year.
The BAe 146 line stretched across included three major production models, each based on passenger seating which directly dictated fuselage lengths. The base model was the "146-100" which seated 94 and this was then followed by the "146-200" seating between 85 to 100 and the "146-300" seating 100 to 112. Comparatively, the 146-200 design showcased a running length of 94 feet compared to the 86 feet of the original 146-100 offering. In all models, the operating aircrew remained two and power was served through 4 x Textron Lycoming ALF 502R-3 or -5 series turbofan engines delivering nearly 7,000lbs of thrust each. Cruising speeds reached 500 miles per hour with a listed range out to 1,800 miles.
Into the 1990s, the BAe 146 paved the way for equivalent designs put forth under the Avro product banner as the "Avro RJ". The series included the three BAe 146 models which were designated as RJ70, RJ85 and RJ100 respectively and sported various improvements. The upcoming Avro RJX was to feature higher-efficiency Honeywell AS977 turbofans though - while a prototype eventually flew - the project was canceled in 2001 with three prototypes completed (each representing the three expected production forms). The RJ115 was offered by Avro as a modified RJ100 though with a revised door plan and an increased Maximum Take-Off Weight (MTOW). Again, none were produced.
In 2009, British Aerospace now having evolved to become "BAe Systems", unveiled its BAe 146M offering with an all-glass cockpit, adaptable internal configuration, increased fuel stores and rough-field operational capability.
Civilian operators of the BAe 146 have proven many while military operators have remained rather reserved. In the civilian market the aircraft has been taken on by the likes of Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Germany, Indonesia, Libya, Mexico, Philippines, Taiwan, South Africa, the United Kingdom and the United States (among others). Military customers have included Austria, Bahrain, Bolivia, Mali, the UAE and the United Kingdom.
Note: The above text is EXCLUSIVE to the site www.MilitaryFactory.com. It is the product of many hours of research and work made possible with the help of contributors, veterans, insiders, and topic specialists. If you happen upon this text anywhere else on the internet or in print, please let us know at MilitaryFactory AT gmail DOT com so that we may take appropriate action against the offender / offending site and continue to protect this original work.
November 2021 - Wright Partners / Wright Electric are looking into an all-electric version of the BAe 146 airliner.
January 2022 - The Royal Air Force (Britain) has begun retirement of their aging BAe 146 fleet.
February 2022 - A pair of ex-Royal Air Force BAe 146 aircraft are set to go to Australian carrier Pionair.
Australia; Bahrain; Belgium; Bolivia; Botswana; Bulgaria; Brazil; Bulgaria; Canada; Chile; Democratic Republic of the Congo; Faroe Islands; Germany; Greece; Ghana; Indonesia; Iran; Ireland; Libya; Malaysia; Mali; Malta; Mongolia; Nepal; New Zealand; Philippines; Peru; Romania; Saudi Arabia; South Africa; Sweden; Switzerland; United Kingdom; Uzbekistan
(OPERATORS list includes past, present, and future operators when applicable)
✓Transport
General transport functionality to move supplies/cargo or personnel (including wounded and VIP) over range.
✓Commercial Aviation
Used in roles serving the commercial aviation market, ferrying both passengers and goods over range.
✓VIP Service
Used in the Very-Important-Person (VIP) passenger transport role, typically with above-average amenities and luxuries as standard.
Length
93.8 ft (28.60 m)
Width/Span
86.0 ft (26.20 m)
Height
28.2 ft (8.60 m)
Empty Wgt
52,690 lb (23,900 kg)
MTOW
93,000 lb (42,184 kg)
Wgt Diff
+40,309 lb (+18,284 kg)
(Showcased structural values pertain to the BAe 146-200 production variant)
monoplane / shoulder-mounted / swept-back
Monoplane
Design utilizes a single primary wing mainplane; this represent the most popular mainplane arrangement.
Shoulder-Mounted
Mainplanes are mounted at the upper section of the fuselage, generally at the imaginary line intersecting the pilot's shoulders.
Swept-Back
The planform features wing sweep back along the leading edges of the mainplane, promoting higher operating speeds.
(Structural descriptors pertain to the BAe 146-200 production variant)
Installed:
4 x Textron Lycoming ALF 502R-5 turbofan engines developing 6970lbs of thrust each.
(Showcased performance specifications pertain to the BAe 146-200 production variant. Performance specifications showcased above are subject to environmental factors as well as aircraft configuration. Estimates are made when Real Data not available. Compare this aircraft entry against any other in our database or View aircraft by powerplant type)
None.
Supported Types
(Not all ordnance types may be represented in the showcase above)
BAe 146 - Base Series Designation
BAe 146-100 - Original production model
BAe 146 "Statesman" - Saudi Designation
BAe 146-200 - Increased seating capacity; increased fuselage length.
BAe 146-300 - Increased seating capacity; increased fuselage length.
BAe 146STA - Small Tactical Airlifter; proposed military transport with rear door and in-flight refueling probe.
BAe 146M - Modernized BAe 146 with all-glass cockpit, improved performance, increased range through more fuel stores, rough-field operational capability.
Avro RJ70 - Avro equivalent of 146-100
Avro RJ85 - Avro equivalent of 146-200
Avro RJ100 - Avro equivalent of 146-300
Avro RJ115 - Avro RJ100 with increased MTOW
Avro RJX - Proposed Avro offering with higher-efficiency Honeywell turbofan engines.
Ribbon graphics not necessarily indicative of actual historical campaign ribbons. Ribbons are clickable to their respective aerial campaigns / operations / aviation periods.
Images Gallery
1 / 4
Image courtesy of the United States Department of Defense imagery database.
2 / 4
Image courtesy of the United States Department of Defense imagery database.
3 / 4
Image courtesy of the United States Department of Defense imagery database.
4 / 4
Image courtesy of the United States Department of Defense imagery database.
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.
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 all American military medals and ribbons.
Australia; Bahrain; Belgium; Bolivia; Botswana; Bulgaria; Brazil; Bulgaria; Canada; Chile; Democratic Republic of the Congo; Faroe Islands; Germany; Greece; Ghana; Indonesia; Iran; Ireland; Libya; Malaysia; Mali; Malta; Mongolia; Nepal; New Zealand; Philippines; Peru; Romania; Saudi Arabia; South Africa; Sweden; Switzerland; United Kingdom; Uzbekistan
