RAF puts BAe 146s up for sale
13 September 2019
One of two BAE Systems BAe 146 C.3 jet transports delivered to the RAF in April 2013.
The two aircraft, along with two VIP variants, have been put up for sale.
Four VIP and light transport aircraft used by the United Kingdom's command support squadron
have been put up for sale by UK's Defence Equipment Sales Authority (DESA).
Details of the aircraft were included in a DESA brochure distributed at the 2019 DSEI event in London.
The brochure stated that both variants of BAe 146
- two CC.2 VIP variants and two CC.3 quick change cargo variants -
are up for sale.
The aircraft are currently used by 32 (The Royal) Squadron
based at UK Royal Air Force (RAF) Northolt in West London
to fly members of the Royal Family, government leaders,
and senior military officers around the world.
The two BAe 146 CC.2s were purchased in the 1980s
and the two CC.3s were acquired second hand in 2012.
A Ministry of Defence (MoD) source close to the project told
it was "too early in the process to be discussing out-of-service dates
and replacements [of the BAe 146s]".
He said putting BAe 146 in the brochure was about
"testing the market's appetite for a potential sale in the future".