The Britten-Norman Defender is a multi-role utility transport aircraft, manufactured by
Britten-Norman of the United Kingdom. It is the military version of the
Britten-Norman Islander
The Britten-Norman BN-2 Islander is a British light utility aircraft and regional airliner designed and originally manufactured by Britten-Norman of the United Kingdom. Still in production, the Islander is one of the best-selling commercial air ...
, developed for roles such as utility transport, casualty evacuation, counter-insurgency and light attack, forward air control, patrol and reconnaissance. The term 'Britten-Norman Defender' relates to all militarised variants of the BN-2 product line including the BN-2 Piston Defender, BN-2T Turbine Defender (sometimes known as the Defender 2000), the BN-2T-4R Defender (also known as AEW Defender and highlighted by its large bulbous nose) and the stretched variant BN-2T-4S, designated Defender 4000 (sometimes known as D4K).
Development
First flown in May 1970, the Defender was based on the civilian Islander, and has a larger
airframe
The mechanical structure of an aircraft is known as the airframe. This structure is typically considered to include the fuselage, undercarriage, empennage and wings, and excludes the propulsion system.
Airframe design is a field of aerospa ...
with four underwing
hardpoint
A hardpoint is an attachment location on a structural frame designed to transfer force and carry an external or internal load. The term is usually used to refer to the mounting points (more formally known as a weapon station or station) on the ...
s for pylons to attach of fuel tanks, bombs, missiles, 7.62-mm (0.3-inch) machine-gun pods, rocket pods, flares, sensors and other stores.
The BN-2B (piston version) and BN-2T (turbine version) are used in military, coastguard, and police operations in several countries.
Defender 4000
![britten norman defender g-gmpb at manchester arp](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/24/Britten_norman_defender_g-gmpb_at_manchester_arp.jpg)
The BN-2T-4S Defender 4000 is an enhanced version of the BN-2T Defender intended for the aerial surveillance role. Compared to earlier Defenders, it has a stretched fuselage, the enlarged wing from the
Trislander, a new nose structure capable of accommodating an EO/IR sensor and
radar
Radar is a detection system that uses radio waves to determine the distance (''ranging''), angle, and radial velocity of objects relative to the site. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, w ...
, and an increased payload.
The prototype Defender 4000 first flew in 1995 and entered production from 1997.
Operational history
Law enforcement use
The
FBI
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and its principal Federal law enforcement in the United States, federal law enforcement age ...
deployed one Defender for electronic aerial surveillance on the
Branch Davidians
The Branch Davidians (or the General Association of Branch Davidian Seventh-day Adventists) were an apocalyptic new religious movement founded in 1955 by Benjamin Roden. They regard themselves as a continuation of the General Association of ...
' compound during the
siege of Waco in 1993.
In August 2017, in an attempt to calm a gang war in Copenhagen, the Danish police force used at least one of the Danish National Guard's two Defenders to fly reconnaissance missions over the city.
Military use
The Mauritanian Air Force employed six BN-2A-21 Defenders in the
Western Sahara War
The Western Sahara War ( ar, حرب الصحراء الغربية, french: Guerre du Sahara occidental, es, Guerra del Sahara Occidental) was an armed struggle between the Sahrawi indigenous Polisario Front and Morocco from 1975 to 1991 (an ...
against
POLISARIO forces in 1976, losing two of them in action.
A
Rhodesian Air Force
The Rhodesian Air Force (RhAF) was an air force based in Salisbury (now Harare) which represented several entities under various names between 1935 and 1980: originally serving the British self-governing colony of Southern Rhodesia, it was the ...
Alouette III
Alouette or alouettes may refer to:
Music and literature
* "Alouette" (song), a French-language children's song
* Alouette, a character in ''The King of Braves GaoGaiGar''
Aerospace
* SNCASE Alouette, a utility helicopter developed in France i ...
, configured as a gunship or 'K-Car' (20mm cannon), shot down a
Botswana Defence Force Air Wing
The Botswana Defence Force Air Arm is the air force of the Botswana Defence Force of Botswana in southern Africa.
Chiefs of the Defence Staff Air Wing
The former heads of the Botswana Armed Forces Air Wing were referred to while in office as ...
Islander on 9 August 1979.
In 1996, the
Royal Cambodian Air Force
The Royal Cambodian Air Force ( km, កងទ័ពជើងអាកាស, Kângtoăp Cheung Akas, ) is the branch of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces which is charged with operating all military aircraft in Cambodia.
Organisation
The Royal ...
deployed its three BN-2 Defenders in support of the dry season offensive against
Khmer Rouge
The Khmer Rouge (; ; km, ខ្មែរក្រហម, ; ) is the name that was popularly given to members of the Communist Party of Kampuchea (CPK) and by extension to the regime through which the CPK ruled Cambodia between 1975 and 1979. ...
insurgents. The Defenders were armed with machine guns and rockets, and even dropped mortar rounds. One Defender was lost during the operation.
In 2014 the
Philippine Navy
The Philippine Navy (PN) ( tgl, Hukbong Dagat ng Pilipinas, , Sea Army of the Philippines) ( es, Armada de Filipinas, , Ejército del Mar de las Filipinas) is the naval warfare service branch of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. It has an e ...
sent one of its Defenders to assist a multinational search and rescue party led by the government of
Malaysia
Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...
in search of the missing
Malaysia Airlines Flight 370
Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 (MH370/MAS370) was an international passenger flight operated by Malaysia Airlines that disappeared on 8 March 2014 while flying from Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Malaysia to its planned destination ...
.
United Kingdom
In January 2004, the
British Army
The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...
placed an urgent order for four BN-2T-4S Defender 4000 aircraft designated the AL Mk 1 for
ISTAR
ISTAR stands for intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition, and reconnaissance. In its macroscopic sense, ISTAR is a practice that links several battlefield functions together to assist a combat force in employing its sensors and managing t ...
missions in
Iraq
Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...
.
The Defender was to be configured similar to the Army
Islander AL Mk 1 and Defenders in use with
Hampshire Constabulary
The Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary is the territorial police force responsible for policing the counties of Hampshire and the Isle of Wight in South East England.Hampshire Constabulary, 2012 Retrieved 27 April 2012
The force area inc ...
and
Greater Manchester Police
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) is the territorial police force responsible for law enforcement within the metropolitan county of Greater Manchester in North West England.
, Greater Manchester Police employed 6,866 police officers, 3,524 memb ...
.
In October 2004, the first aircraft was delivered to
No. 1 Flight AAC and deployed to Iraq that month.
The final Mk 1 was delivered in September 2006 to
No. 651 Squadron AAC which had been reformed to operate the Defender.
The Mk 1 was fitted with a
Wescam MX-15 Electro-Optical Infrared (EO/IR) turret under the nose, cabin-mounted cameras,
COMINT
Signals intelligence (SIGINT) is intelligence-gathering by interception of '' signals'', whether communications between people (communications intelligence—abbreviated to COMINT) or from electronic signals not directly used in communication ...
and
C2 equipment.
During the fleet's bi-annual return to the UK for in-depth servicing new ISTAR equipment was fitted.
A second order was placed for four fully re-designed aircraft designated the Mk 2 and a trainer.
In September 2008, the first Mk 2 aircraft and also one Mk 1 upgraded to Mk 2 standard were delivered.
The Mk 2 was fitted with
TCAS,
EGPWS, improved
DAS, improved avionics suite and had ISTAR equipment enhancements.
The Mk 2 had a longer endurance to the Mk 1 being able to carry more fuel and was also able to operate at a lower height.
The training variant was also delivered in September 2008 designated the T Mk 3.
The final Mk 2 aircraft was to be delivered by 2012 together with the three Mk 1s upgraded to Mk 2 standard.
In June 2009, the Defender's deployment to Iraq ended with 651 Squadron serving continuously since October 2004 in which time it had provided over 8,000 hours in support of UK Forces.
In January to February 2010, the Defender was trialled in the Middle East with a
Counter-IED capability for potential use in
Afghanistan
Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...
.
Defenders deployed to Afghanistan from November 2010 through to 2012.
In 2012, Defenders flew daily missions prior to and during the
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
2012 Summer Olympics
The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...
.
In April 2019, the Defender was transferred from the Army to the
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...
with
No. 1 Group. The aircraft was re-designated from AL2 (prefix AL for Army liaison) to R2 (prefix R for Reconnaissance).
In July 2021, it was reported that the Defender was retired from service on 30 June 2021 and that Britten-Norman had acquired the fleet and working with the Defence Equipment Sales Authority will convert the aircraft for civilian sale.
Variants
![Islander - RIAT 2017 (24052804958)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a2/Islander_-_RIAT_2017_%2824052804958%29.jpg)
;Defender
:Multi-role utility transport aircraft.
;Maritime Defender
:Armed maritime patrol and reconnaissance aircraft.
;Defender 4000
:Enhanced Defender for the urban surveillance, counter-terrorism and maritime surveillance roles.
;AEW Defender
:
Airborne Early Warning
Airborne or Airborn may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
Films
* ''Airborne'' (1962 film), a 1962 American film directed by James Landis
* ''Airborne'' (1993 film), a comedy–drama film
* ''Airborne'' (1998 film), an action film sta ...
aircraft
Operators
;
:
Air Force Home Guard - 2 x BN-2A-26
;
*
Garda Air Support Unit
The Garda Air Support Unit (or ''GASU'') is a unit of the Garda Síochána which was formed in 1997. The GASU is part of the Operational Support Unit which provides specialist support to Gardaí nationwide. The Operational Support Unit also incl ...
– 1 × Defender 4000.
![Armed Forces of Malta Air Wing Islander Zammit-1](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1a/Armed_Forces_of_Malta_Air_Wing_Islander_Zammit-1.jpg)
;
*
Armed Forces of Malta
The Armed Forces of Malta ( mt, Forzi Armati ta' Malta) is the name given to the combined armed services of Malta. The AFM is a brigade sized organisation consisting of a headquarters and three separate battalions, with minimal air and naval ...
2 x BN-2T
;
*
National Coast Guard - 1 x BN-2T
;
:
Royal Moroccan Gendarmerie
The Royal Gendarmerie ( ar, الدرك الملكي المغربي, ad-darak al-malikiyy al-maḡribiyy, french: Gendarmerie royale marocaine) is the national gendarmerie force of the Kingdom of Morocco, and comes under the joint-authority of ...
13 x BN-2T
;
*
Philippine Navy
The Philippine Navy (PN) ( tgl, Hukbong Dagat ng Pilipinas, , Sea Army of the Philippines) ( es, Armada de Filipinas, , Ejército del Mar de las Filipinas) is the naval warfare service branch of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. It has an e ...
6 x BN-2
![ZH002 Britten-Norman Defender AL](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/56/ZH002_Britten-Norman_Defender_AL.2.jpg)
;
*
Police Service of Northern Ireland
The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI; ga, Seirbhís Póilíneachta Thuaisceart Éireann; Ulster Scots dialects, Ulster-Scots: ')
is the police, police force that serves Northern Ireland. It is the successor to the Royal Ulster Constabu ...
- 1 × Defender 4000
Former Operators
;
*
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...
- 8 x R2, 1 x T3 (transferred in 2019 from
Army
An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...
Air Corps)
Specifications (Defender 4000)
See also
References
Bibliography
*
External links
BN2T-4S operated by Irish Air Corps for Gardai (Irish police force)
{{Britten-Norman aircraft
Defender
1970s British military utility aircraft
High-wing aircraft
Aircraft first flown in 1970
Twin-turboprop tractor aircraft