A Sample Feature From Aviation News

New Tricks

While celebrating the 30th anniversary of the Hawk’s first flight this year, BAE Systems are keen to emphasis that the difference between the first and current generation of Hawk advanced trainers is immense, with the airbrakes and canopy reportedly being the only features in common.

Above: The final pair of CT-155s for NFTC departed Warton, Lancashire, on August 2 and were routed via Keflavik, Kangerlussuaq, Goose Bay, North Bay, and Winnipeg to Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. 155221 arrived on the 4th, while ’222 was delayed by a technical problem at North Bay. (Photo, Kevin Wills).

The Hawk is currently riding a wave of renewed interest after orders from the Royal Air Force and the Indian Air Force. India will receive 66 Hawk Mk 132s, of which 24 will come from the production line at Brough, East Yorkshire. A further six will be produced in the form of knocked down kits for shipment to Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) for assembly at their facility at Bangalore. HAL will then produce the outstanding examples. The aircraft itself is essentially similar to the Mk 115 – it was initially dubbed the Mk 115Y – but will have all US made components (navigation equipment, some avionics) replaced to avoid the periodic sanctions imposed on India by the US for not conforming to its wishes.

In addition, the contract covers the training of 75 pilots at the BAE Systems-run Hawk Synthetic Training Facility (HSTF) at RAF Valley, Anglesey. The first six instructor-pilots for the Indian Air Force were at the HSTF by the time of the Farnborough show. The Indian Air Force contract is a 41-month programme that commenced in May 2004. At the end of that period, the Hawk will be released to service within the Indian Air Force.

The RAF order is for 20 aircraft, with the provision for 24 more. Two development aircraft will be built that will be used to develop and define the exact configuration of the RAF’s new Hawks before being handed over as part of the 20 aircraft order. They are expected to be released to service in 2009 at the end of a three-year contract, with the first aircraft being delivered in 2008.

BAE Systems is not considering entering the Hawk into the developing Eurotraining requirement. A total of 15 countries are investigating creating a single academy equipped with a new advanced trainer, replacing national capabilities. The UK is not one of them. Questions over the willingness of the countries involved to be able to make Eurotraining work – or to be up and running within the timeframe required by many of their air forces – will present good marketing opportunities for the Hawk. Finland, the first Hawk export customer, could replace its fleet with later versions of the aircraft should Eurotraining fail, while Poland has a more urgent requirement for a PZL TS-11 Iskra replacement.

BAE would like the Hawk to become a replacement for Canada’s final CT-114 Tutors, used by the Snowbirds aerobatic display team. Given the experience that country has gained from the CT-155 fleet of the Nato Flying Training in Canada (NFTC) school, this is a possibility. Finally, Australia also could expand its fleet.

The recent orders underline that the Hawk remains one of the worlds most capable advanced trainers. The efforts put into matching the cockpit environment and systems with the latest generation of combat aircraft continues to be paying dividends for the Hawk. – David Willis

Above: The cockpit of the new generation Hawk is a far cry from the analogue example fitted to the earlier Hawks. Flight information is displayed on the three MFDs in front of the pilot. The head-up display sits in the pilot’s line-of-sight. (Photo, BAE Systems).

For the rest of this article please see the October 2004 issue.