The FAAM Airborne Laboratory is undergoing transformative change
Statement from the MLU Director and MLU Project Manager:
Following the withdrawal of funding by UKRI-NERC, announced on Thursday 26 February 2026, the FAAM Airborne Laboratory will cease operations at the end of this financial year. There is now significant work required in the coming weeks to understand what this means for the instruments, infrastructure, and knowledge held by the facility.
We are aware that this decision causes a lot of uncertainty among organisations contracted to deliver or support MLU-funded upgrades. At this stage we need to work closely with UKRI-NERC, our host institutions, delivery partners, facility users, and staff to navigate the closure process.
We continue to look at how we can support existing projects and future airborne atmospheric research.
Should you have questions or comments regarding the facility’s closure, please do share them with us or comms@ncas.ac.uk and we will provide as much information and clarity as we are able to. We also want to thank our partners wholeheartedly for the support and the work they have contributed to the Mid-Life Upgrade programme.
With over 20 years supporting science in the skies, the FAAM Airborne Laboratory will now significantly enhance the services it provides, maximise performance as a research facility, and extend its operation to 2040. A £49 million investment by UK Research and Innovation will fund a six-year programme known as the Mid-Life Upgrade.
The Mid-Life Upgrade programme began in 2021 and is due for completion in 2027.
Objectives
Our three objectives are to:
- Safeguard the UK’s research capability – allowing the facility to meet the needs of the research community, enhance the range of services available, and respond to environmental emergencies
- Provide frontier science capability – meeting new and existing research needs and supporting ground-breaking science discoveries, with a flexible and world-class airborne laboratory
- Reduce our environmental impact – maintaining and improving the performance of the facility, and minimising emissions and resource use from aircraft operation
The Mid-Life Upgrade programme has six themes
Aircraft – Modifications to the aircraft to enhance baseline performance and future-proof the facility
Science Infrastructure – Modernisation of the aircraft’s science systems to deliver optimal services and provide flexibility
Science Instrumentation – An upgraded set of instruments to support world-leading atmospheric science and research outputs
Process Development – Assessment of how to improve processes and methods across the facility to support future operation
Operations – Enhancements to the operational capability and characteristics of the facility
Resources – The people, infrastructure, services and technology needed to deliver the facility and the Mid-Life Upgrade Programme
The main activities for each year
2021 – Establishing project management systems, and initial scoping with stakeholders
2022 – Planning and initiating aircraft upgrades, setting up feasibility studies, understanding requirements, specifications and design implications
2023 – Developing aircraft and related infrastructure upgrades
2024 – Ongoing aircraft and infrastructure modifications, with further procurement, manufacturing and testing
2025 – Ongoing infrastructure and process modifications, with further procurement, manufacturing and testing
2026 – The aircraft is grounded for extensive infrastructure modifications and testing
2027 – Completing upgrades and modifications, with final commissioning of instruments and evaluation of scientific performance
Stakeholders
The Mid-Life Upgrade programme is supporting the FAAM Airborne Laboratory and involves a range of delivery partners:
- UK Research and Innovation
- Natural Environmental Research Council
- National Centre for Atmospheric Science
- University of Leeds
- BAE Systems
- Airtask Group
- Avalon Aero
- Cranfield Airport at Cranfield University
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