The UK’s civil aircraft register has a surprising new entry: a trio of two-seat Aermacchi MB339Cs belonging to French ‘red air’ provider SDTS.
However, the Nimes, southeast-France-based firm has no plans – yet, anyway – for an expansion into the UK.
Rather, SDTS has turned to the UK register due to an inability to use N-prefixed aircraft on upcoming contracts with the French armed forces, explains contract manager Pierre Arnal.
The three MB339s, all 1991-built examples, were initially operated by the Royal New Zealand Air Force, but acquired by US firm Draken International in 2013, publicly available data shows.
SDTS subsequently purchased the jets from Draken and reregistered them – two on 21 February and the third on 27 March – with the UK Civil Aviation Authority. They now carry the registrations G-DTSA/DTSB/DTSC.
Detailing the move in a LinkedIn post, the company says it “confirms the strength of our operational service, the reliability of our procedures, and the professionalism of the SDTS team.
“For our customers, this is further proof of our ability to operate in demanding regulatory environments and to offer robust, compliant, and sustainable solutions, both in France and abroad.”
Arnal says maintenance of the MB339s’ Rolls-Royce Viper engines will be undertaken by North Wales Military Aviation Services, based at Harwarden airport, the airfield serving Airbus’s Broughton wing facility.
SDTS will use the MB339s for aggressor training with the French navy and air force but is actively working to secure additional contracts elsewhere in Europe, says Arnal.
It currently owns eight examples of the Italian-made type, three of which are operational. However, another two aircraft may be brought back into service this year, he adds, also likely to be UK-registered.
