The BAE-146 was originally modified by our team to house tailored scientific instruments to measure the atmosphere and has continued to support the aircraft availability and upgrades.
The Prestwick based engineers design installations, approve and certify scientific equipment on the aircraft making it ready to support its various climate driven research campaigns. BAE Systems continues to support the aircraft, designing and developing modifications to ensure its users can continue its critical atmospheric research that benefits the global community.
The aircraft facility enables scientists to make in situ and remote sensing measurements of the atmosphere, spanning scales from detecting the smallest cloud droplets and quantifying chemical reactions, to monitoring weather systems and tracking pollution sources. The data collected builds understanding that informs clean air strategies, resilience to climate change, and early-warning systems for severe weather.
The BAE-146 enables this to be delivered anywhere in the world, due to its low flying capabilities and short runway take off capabilities. The aircraft supports global research initiatives and has been crucial in helping scientists, governments and industry partners to tackle environmental challenges, including climate change, air pollution and severe weather.
We are really proud to see the BAE-146 used for such important scientific work, and our team are incredibly proud to continue to support the FAAM team at Cranfield. As we face increasing challenges from climate change around the world, the importance of the work the Atmospheric Research Aircraft delivers becomes even more important to driving the work on climate change.Iain Minton, Air Chief Technologist - FalconWorks, BAE Systems Air Sector
Sustainability
Read about our commitments to ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance).