Marshall Aerospace has won a multi-year engineering contract for ZA947, the Douglas C-47 Dakota Mk III training and display aircraft owned by the RAF’s Battle of Britain Memorial Flight (BBMF). The contract expands the scope of support services currently provided by Marshall, paving the way for the company to take on new responsibilities as co-ordinating design organisation (CDO).
Marshall’s work on the aircraft with BBMF, based at RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire, began in 2009. Since then, the company has designed repairs and modifications, responded to technical queries and conducted inspections, including during the aircraft’s recent major maintenance programme. Transitioning into the role of CDO will entail more direct involvement by Marshall as the central organisation accountable for maintaining the master aircraft design, recommending the classification of major and minor changes, and ensuring ongoing safety and airworthiness of all systems.
Aligning an 84-year-old airframe with modern standards is a complex engineering challenge, but Marshall has previously served the RAF in a design authority role for multiple fixed-wing aircraft types, including the C-130K and C-130J Hercules, L-1011 TriStar, and E-3D Sentry AWACS.
This programme, and similar work in the past, is possible thanks to Marshall’s long-held status as an approved organisation under the UK Military Aviation Authority (MAA) Design Approved Organisation Scheme (DAOS).
DAOS status sets Marshall apart by formally recognising its competence to undertake and control military aircraft design work, rather than simply carrying out maintenance or manufacturing activity. For customers, it means Marshall can design and certify repairs and modifications, respond authoritatively to technical and airworthiness questions, and act as a trusted design partner in sustaining complex aircraft safely and effectively through service.
“We are delighted to renew and strengthen our excellent working relationship with BBMF by stepping up our support for such an important, valuable aircraft.
“This is work that speaks to long-standing engineering expertise, and is made possible by the wide-ranging accreditations and approvals that allow us to design and certify work on a C-47 Dakota just as capably as a brand new drone technology.”
Mark Hewer
Director of Aero Engineering Services, Marshall Aerospace
Douglas C-47 Dakota. Photo credit: Phil Cooke
Constructed in 1942 by Douglas at Long Beach, California, ZA947 entered into USAAF service but was soon transferred under lend-lease to the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF), which remained its operator until 1969 when the aircraft was declared surplus to requirements.
In 1971 ZA947 was acquired by the British Royal Aircraft Establishment (RAE). During this time, the aircraft was modified extensively and used for parachute, sonobuoy and radio communications trials, often operating out of a Marshall outstation at RAE West Freugh, Scotland.
ZA947 was offered up for disposal in 1992, at which point the aircraft was adopted by RAF Strike Command and issued to BBMF. It now serves as an important multi-engine tailwheel training asset, but is also a sought-after display aircraft and a flying memorial to the brave RAF personnel who flew and operated these unarmed transport aircraft.
In summer 2025, ZA947 returned to its home at RAF Coningsby from Duxford, where it had spent three years undergoing a major maintenance programme. Significant unscheduled emergent work arose during maintenance, including airframe damage, corrosion and fatigue cracking. Working with the rest of the BBMF Project team, including the Aircraft Restoration Company and Boeing, Marshall conducted inspections, recommended repairs and replacements options, and supported procurement of parts.
Following successful completion of all repairs and rectifications and return to flightworthy state, ZA947 is now on show in the BBMF hangar, in 31 Squadron South East Asia Command markings.
How Marshall kept the Dakotas flying above Normandy
Note: while the current serial “ZA947” has been used for simplicity throughout this article, the aircraft has operated under multiple different serials at various points in its lengthy history.