Starting life as an A. V. Roe project in 1958, the original Type 748 was planned as a 20-seat short/medium-range feeder airliner. When no interest was shown in the design, it was scaled up in size and the Hawker Siddeley Group, of which Avro was a component company, decided to put the aircraft into production. The first flight of the prototype took place at Woodford on 24 June 1960. The first production aircraft, capable of seating a maximum of 48 passengers, was designated Avro 748 Series 1. It first flew on 31 August 1961, powered by two 1298kW Rolls-Royce Dart 514 turboprops.

3-View

A three-view drawing (569 x 716)

Redesignated HS.748 in 1963, later versions included the Series 2 and Series 2A (1967) civil transports; Andover CC.Mk 1 and CC.Mk 2 for the RAF, the former being two specially equipped examples for The Queen's Flight; the Coastguarder variant was also developed, optimised for maritime patrol, flying in 1977. The improved Series 2B, by now called the BAe 748, flew in June 1979 and a further update, the Super 748, made its debut in 1984. Also produced was the Civil Transport with a large cargo door, and the similar Military Transport with additional fittings for a variety of roles. More than 50 military transports were sold to foreign armed services. Production of all versions, including assembly in India by Hindustan Aircraft, totalled 380 aircraft.