BAE Systems

The Aircraft of British Aerospace and BAE SYSTEMS 1977 - 2017 49

BAe’s 250th 146/RJ in March 1995 the
type had outsold the BAC One-Eleven of
which 244 were built. In the previous year,
BAe Woodford had delivered 17 RJs, very
different to 1991 when the joint
production lines at Woodford and Hatfield
had produced 39.
The Belgian national airline, Sabena
ordered 16 RJ85s and nine RJ100s in
September 1995, emulating Crossair by
fitting its machines with 82 leather seats
in a five abreast layout and Lufthansa
followed suit with this luxurious
arrangement. Sabena went into
liquidation in November 2001, so Brussels
Airlines took over its own operations and
became SN Brussels. The RJ85s were
gradually withdrawn from service in
2011-2014 but the airline continues to
lease eight RJ100s. Between 2002 and
2013 BA operated a large fleet of RJs and
a small number of 146s flying on
domestic and international routes from
UK airports and London City.

The Avro RJX and the sudden
end of production
The RJ needed development as new
competition in the form of the
Bombardier CRJ 700/CRJ900 and Brazilian
Embraer 170/190 were both gathering
large orders, though these suffered after

Honeywell AS977. It was expected to offer

15% lower fuel burn, 18% better

maintenance rates; and lower exhaust

noise compared with the LF507 fitted to

the RJ. It would provide greater range,

lower costs, increased reliability and the

ability to operate at higher weights from

restricted airports.

The RJX was low-cost, low-risk,

high-gain development approach. For

BAE Systems to compete most effectively

with the newcomers, a switch to a

twin-engine configuration would have

been necessary but would likely cost

$500m, a sum it was unwilling to spend.

As in the early 1990s BAE Systems would

not finance a major reworking of the

design into a twin-engined version as this

would require total re-engineering of the

wing; a new engine pylon position,

increased sweep to increase Mach

number and changes to the tail. Such a

strategy was not consistent with the

company’s strategy to only carry out

limited improvements to existing aircraft

while these were still viable.

Commentators criticised BAE for

waiting so long to make this decision,

which they had apparently been

contemplating since 1998, stating this

delay had lost the firm many potential

orders. In the latter part of the decade

orders had trailed off; from 1994 to 1999

at least 20 RJs had been delivered per

year but by 2000 this had fallen to 14 and

in 2001 only ten were delivered.

RJX Maiden flight and testing

The first flight of the Avro RJX85

prototype G-ORJX took place Saturday, 28

April 2001, at which time the RJX had

orders for 14 aircraft and options on

another 14. By August, BAE Systems

Regional Aircraft had completed four

months of test flying on the new aircraft.

The aircraft had a noticeably better

performance than the RJ, especially at

high altitude. It was joined in the test

The lasT BriTish airliner – The Bae 146

9/11. In March 2000 BAE Systems formally

launched the Avro RJX. The firm had

identified that it could revamp the aircraft

around an improved powerplant the

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The last delivery of a British airliner. RJ85 OH-SAP for Blue 1 together with the prototype 146 and now

Atmospheric Research Aircraft G-LUXE at Woodford on 25 November 2003. (BAE Systems)

†