BAe was the UK's largest exporter, a Competition Commission report gives a ten-year aggregate figure of 45 billion, with defence sales accounting for approximately 80%.

The company was formed as a statutory corporation on April 29, 1977 as a result the Aircraft and Shipbuilding industries. This called for the nationalisation and merger of; the British Aircraft Corporation, Hawker siddeley aviation, Hawker Siddeley dynamics and Scottish Aviation.

In accordance with the provisions of the British Aerospace Act 1980 the statutory corporation was changed to a Plc, British Aerospace Public Limited Company, on January 1 1981. On February 4 1981 the government sold 51.57% of its shares. The British goverment sold its remaining shares in 1985, maintaining a £1 Golden share which allows it veto foreign control of the board or company.

BAe was the UK's largest exporter, a Competition Commission report gives a ten-year aggregate figure of £45 billion, with defence sales accounting for approximately 80%.

On September 26, 1985, the UK and Saudi Arabian governments signed the Al Yamamah contract, with BAe as prime contractor. The contracts, extended in the 1990s and never fully detailed, involved the supply of Tornado strike and air defence aircraft, Hawk trainer jets, Rapier missile systems, infrastructure works and naval vessels. The Al Yamamah deals are valued at anything up to £20Bn and still continue to provide a large percentage of BAE Systems' profits.

Major ...

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BAe was the UK's largest exporter, a Competition Commission report gives a ten-year aggregate figure of £45 billion, with defence sales accounting for approximately 80%.

Major Milestone

1979, BAe offically joined Airbus, the UK having previously withdrawn support for the consortium in April 1969.
1985 - In June BAe delivered the first Panavia Tornado IDS to the Royal Air Force and on August 9, 1985 the first Tornado Air Defence Variant (ADV) rolled off the production line.
1985 - On September 26 the Al Yamamah contract was signed with Saudi Arabia.
1994 - In March the first Eurofighter development aircraft (DA) flew from Manching, Germany. This was followed by BAe's DA2 on April 6.
1997 - BAe joined the Lockheed Martin X-35 Joint Strike Fighter team.

RAF Aircraft Built By British Aerospace

Hawk T1
Hawk T2
Hawk 128
Tornado f3
Tornado gr4
Nimrod mr2
Nimrod r1
Tornado gr4a
Bae146
Bae 125

Some information on popular Aircraft built by Bae

The hawk T1: In the current RAF training programme, the Hawk T1 is the first jet aircraft that a student pilot will fly. An advanced, and very successful trainer, Hawk is used to teach operational tactics, air-to-air and air-to-ground firing, air combat and low-level operating procedures. Hawks are also flown by 100 Squadron from RAF Leeming in a wide variety of very specialised roles such as target facilities and specialist electronic warfare training. The Joint Forward Air Controller Training and Standards Unit (JFACTSU) (also based at Leeming) use Hawks for their training requirements, as well as by many test establishments and the Royal Navy.

The first of 175 Hawks ordered for the RAF took to the air on 21 August 1974 and deliveries to RAF Valley commenced just over two years later. Aircraft were delivered with the ability to carry weapons and so the Valley- and Brawdy-based Hunters used for weapons training were retired and a new single-aircraft syllabus developed to take advantage of the Hawk's capabilities. Other training units to receive the Hawk were Tactical Weapons Units at Brawdy and Lossiemouth, the Central Flying School at Scampton and Valley and, in 1979, the RAF Aerobatic Team, and the Red Arrows.

Above is the Bae hawk T1 with a Eurofighter typhoon made by a consortium of Britain, Italy, Germany and Spain.