combination have come through as expected
and allowed it to become an excellent
airtanker.”
In 12 weeks of operations, Tanker 162
and Tanker 131 conducted 81 drops.
The latest BAe 146 tanker project also
comes from a Canadian company, AirSpray, which created a subsidiary in Chico,
California. Using the former Aero Union
facilities at California Regional Airport, it
began modifying two BAe 146-200s in 2013
with 3,000 US gal (11,356lit) constant ow
tanks. The company is planning to have two
aircraft available for the 2016 re season andhas acquired a further three airframes for
conversion.
The jets will succeed Air Spray’s eet of
ten Lockheed L-188 Electras on seasonal
re ghting contracts with Alberta, British
Columbia, Northwest Territories and the
Yukon states in Canada – and sometimes
California, too.
With an increasing eet in service and
with the USFS agreement, it seems the BAe
146 and the RJ85 have proven themselves
worthy airtankers.
Currently 16 out of 22 large airtankers
in the USA that are earmarked for six-year
‘Call When Needed’ contracts by the USFS
are BAe 146/Avro RJs. In addition, eight of
the 14 next-gen airtankers contracted for
Exclusive Use by the USFS are BAe 146s
(Neptune with four) and RJ85s (Aero-Flite
with four). So the aircraft has really made its
mark.
This is enhanced by the support of BAE
Systems Regional Aircraft at Prestwick
in Scotland as the Original Equipment
Manufacturer (OEM). From the outset the
involvement of BAE Systems in a supportive
role and with specialist engineering
expertise has been very important to the US
Federal authorities.
While the individual conversions and
their designs are very much the work of
the airtanker companies and their chosen
contractors, BAE Systems has made itself
available to provide specialist expertise to
help the companies create what have proved
excellent airtankers out of the BAe 146-200
and Avro RJ85.
With Conair, BAE Systems analysed the
structure and aerodynamic shape of the
external wrap-around tank design it chose for
the RJ85 and supplied a pilot to help them
assess what turned out to be a remarkably
benign aerodynamic effect on the aircraft.
The company is also working closely
with Air Spray on its conversions and is
providing design and engineering services
including aerodynamic and computational
uid dynamics analysis; dynamic loads
assessment and structural analysis.
A re bomber’s life is not an easy one but
this British jetliner is well suited for the job.30 Aviation News incorporating Classic Aircraft February 2016Above: Tanker 10 was the rst Neptune aircraft equipped with the ‘REV3’ system, with two
additional drop nozzles forward of the main landing gear. The modi cation signi cantly
increases the retardant coverage and reduces the structural strain on the airframe.
J Brecht via Neptune Aviation
Below: One of the BAe 146s Air Spray USA has modi ed at its facility in Chico, California.
The company expects to have two aircraft available for this year’s re season. AuthorBelow: Aero-Flite’s Tanker 161 on short nal approach to Runway 16 at Redding Municipal
Airport, California. The rm operates RJ85s converted by Conair. Martin Cooper26-30_airtankerDC.mfDC.mfDC.mfDC.mf.indd 30 08/01/2016 11:23