Cessnas were designed for the military and the civilian aviation sector and were originally manufactured in the United Kingdom by Dornier.

The first Cessnans were delivered to the US Army Air Corps in 1956.

In 1958, the Army Air Force transferred the aircraft to the United States, where it served as the basis for the F-14A Hornet fighter.

Cessns were later sold to the Royal Canadian Air Force, the Royal Australian Air Force and the Royal Saudi Air Force.

The acquisition of Cessnar is the latest in a string of deals by British Aerospace, which has also acquired aircraft from Airbus, BAE, Pratt & Whitney and McDonnell Douglas.

A BAE spokesman said: “We have worked with Airbus since the beginning to find a buyer for the aircraft.

We are now in the process of negotiating a contract for delivery of the first aircraft to take delivery from the manufacturer.”

The new acquisition comes as the British government prepares to sell a fleet of military aircraft to a private buyer for around £60bn.

BAE has already sold its first aircraft, the F/A-18 Super Hornet, to a Chinese manufacturer, making it the world’s largest seller of aircraft.

BAE has said it will be looking for an “acceptable buyer” for the remaining planes.

David Duddell, head of aircraft procurement at BAE’s UK arm, said: “[The sale] is a major milestone in our transformation programme.

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The aircraft we have in the pipeline will be fully aligned with our strategic objectives, and will be of the highest quality.”