What will 32 Sqn do ?
 

Looks like the days of the 146 in RAF service are numbered. Remains to be seen when and - more importantly - if they be replaced with a permanent type or covered by a leased airframe as and when needed.

https://www.janes.com/article/91234/...6s-up-for-sale

Read the article, it says that there is no intention to dispose of the aircraft or evens state an out of service date, this is merely a "market testing" exercise to determine possible future demand.

Which I suggest will be ZERO...

Coincidently there's a program on the box (Ch 5) next Friday 20th September at 20.15 entitled 'Secrets of the Royal Flight'

There were rumours earlier in the year about replacement aircraft - Airbus A220 was mentioned.

MoD said to be exploring leasing of four Gulfstream G550s

Yes; after its appearance at Farnborough 2018, I was told by 'a person in the know' about plans to replace the '146s with A220s and posted it here but no-one else had heard.
Before this and before I retired from Farnborugh in 2008, the rumour was that 'Blair Force One' (using A320s) would at least operate in/out of Farnborough if not be based there (Farnborough's runway having longer approach lighting and declared distances plus Cat 1 ILS and IRVR on both ends) with the addition that in the new hangar complex then being built (now complete), one third had been reserved for an 'undisclosed' customer.
G550s are an alternative but a 15 year old design; could they operate from Northolt's shiny new runway though, especially if as rumoured, the LDA will be reduced? That 'soft' arrestor bed might get a bit more use anyway.

Thinking of what you said re Gulfstream G550 , am sure USAFE and USAF AMC C-37A do land at Northolt occasionally.

Cheers

Course when the beancounters tot up the cost of the re-surfacing, they could declare Northolt too expensive to operate and close it; they did it at Bovingdon: re-clad the 4 hangars then closed it next year.

Mexico
 

Or purchase 2nd hand from across the pond. The Mexican President is flogging off his own fleet which includes Boeing 787 Dreamliner, few Gulfatream G3/4, odd BBJ etc etc plus Airbus Helicopters AS332L1 (they also had SA330H Pumas as well) . Unit is not aprt of the air force but counted as they part of E.T.A.P.E.F or Estdado Preicdencia Mayer ...used to be known as the UTAPEF in my day as I dealt with them. The Mexican President also has his own armed protection force, I am led to believe separate from the rest of the armed forces.

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/n...migration-deal

For a not so wealthy country, the Mexico probably comes close to their northern neighbor with large DV fleet.

Cheers

Driving past Northolt as I do most days, before the runway closure there was always an impressively large number of the larger Gulfstream and Bombardier Business jets parked up, so I don't think there is an issue with them operating from there.

I'm sure I read somewhere that the CAA is insisting the declared distances are reduced for civil aircraft

The 220 is the Bombardier?, snapped the dash 300 after it was painted in Airbus colours, quite a big aircraft,

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...e8cd1942_c.jpg
A220-300 by Tony Taylor, on Flickr

Knowing the way the MOD works I am surprised they never bought these lol

https://www.fliegerfaust.com/airbus-...607970333.html

At a slight tangent, was there a historical link that meant TQF got the 32 Sqn numberplate?

Wander00,

As it was the only Comms squadron left when TQF disbanded at Benson there was no other choice. 207, 60, 26 and 21 Squadrons having all been disbanded.

60 were re-roled as a SH Squadron with Wessex at Benson, then Griffin and now Juno/Jupiter at Shawbury

Wessex HCC4
 

Laughingly or not went for a visit to Hendon, so it was nice to see red Wessex HCC.4 clean and pristine inside Hangar 3/4/5 ....

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....ba5ea1ed97.jpg
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....2d6acbf916.jpg
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....7f230aca4e.jpg
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....94ffaad7c3.jpg