British Aerospace Jetstream 31/Super 31

The successful Jetstream 31 traces its ancestry to the Turboméca Astazou powered Handley Page HP-137 Jetstream 1. The HP-137 was designed as early ago as 1965, and flew for the first time on August 18 1967. Initial Handley Page production aircraft were powered by 635kW (850hp) Astazou XIVs and named Jetstream 1 (36 built), but deliveries were delayed by excess weight and drag problems. To overcome these problems Handley Page developed the Jetstream 2 with more powerful 800kW (1073shp) Astazou XIVCs. However Handley Page ran into serious financial difficulties in the late 1960s (causing the US Air Force to cancel an order for 10 Garrett TPE331 powered C-10A Jetstreams [3Ms]) and it folded in 1969, bringing to an end development of the more powerful Jetstream 2 and plans to market a civil version of the 3M in the USA. A few unfinished aircraft were completed by Terravia, and development of the Jetstream 2 resumed in 1970 as the Jetstream 200 under the control of the newly formed Jetstream Aircraft in collaboration with Scottish Aviation. Scottish Aviation later assumed overall responsibility for the Jetstream and built a number as navigation and multi-engine trainers for Britain's military services as the Jetstream T1 and T2. Development continued after Scottish Aviation was merged into British Aerospace in 1977, and work on the Jetstream 31 (or J31) began in 1978. The first flight of the Garrett TPE331 powered Jetstream 31 (a converted HP-137) occurred on March 28 1980. The first production aircraft flew in March 1982, UK certification was granted in June 1982. In British Naval service the J31 is designated the Jetstream T3. Subsequent development led to the Super 31, certificated in October 1988. The Super 31 (or unofficially J32) features uprated engines, higher weights and better performance. The last J31/J32 was built in 1993. Since 1997 British Aerospace Asset Management has been offering for sale or lease the upgraded J32EP (Enhanced Performance). Its minor aerodynamic and drag improvements enhance payload range and hot and high performance.

The backbone of this section is from the The International Directory of Civil Aircraft by Gerard Frawley and used with permission. To get your own copy of the book click here