Every Bulletin story and press release covering Britten-Norman, newest first.
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The company has passed the halfway point in building the first fully UK-assembled Islander, with workforce expansion and facility upgrades supporting reshored production plans.
Britten-Norman will scale manufacturing in the UK up to eight aircraft a year in phase one. Most will be the unleaded piston version, with around 20% of aircraft being delivered as turboprops.
The company is planning for new aircraft production to increase fourfold by 2027 with strong economic performance and increased revenue projected.
CAeS says a newly refurbished hangar will be a 'classroom of possibilities', where it will deliver the intricacies of zero emissions propulsion and also pioneer maintenance procedures for hydrogen-powered aircraft.
The move is in response to intensified interest in the planned launch of an OEM, zero-emissions Islander aircraft in 2026 as well as wider interest that has resulted from the introduction of finance and leasing options.
The combined company's ambition extends beyond the Islander and the sub-regional market, with the intention to design and manufacture new 'clean sheet' aircraft up to 100 seats powered using zero carbon technology.
Evolito's motor is a compact solution that has allowed CAeS to integrate and package the technology efficiently as part of the 240kW Fresson fuel-cell propulsion system within the Islander engine nacelle.
Britten-Norman is also currently progressing type certification approval for the BN2T-4S Islander in India and Canada, and has aircraft in manufacture at its Solent manufacturing facilities at Daedalus and Bembridge.
The S-TEC 3100 has a next generation 3-axis autopilot capability that enhances safety by reducing pilot workload, and will become standard fit on all new Islander aircraft.
The TXi EIS includes safety features such as engine timers, exceedance recordings, dynamic engine indications and wireless data logging to reduce pilot workload, improve engine efficiency and reduce maintenance costs.