BAE Hawk

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BAE Hawk
BAE Hawk T.1 trainer of No. 208 Squadron RAF.
Type Military trainer aircraft
Manufacturers Hawker Siddeley
British Aerospace (1977-1999)
BAE Systems (1999 onwards)
Maiden flight 1974
Primary users Royal Air Force
Royal Australian Air Force
Canadian Forces
Finnish Air Force
Unit cost £18 million (2003)
Variants T-45 Goshawk

The BAE Systems (BAE) Hawk is an advanced jet trainer which first flew in 1974 as the Hawker Siddeley Hawk. It is used by the Royal Air Force, and other air forces, as either a trainer or a low-cost combat aircraft. To date (December 1st 2007) over 900 Hawks have been sold around the world.

Contents

[edit] History

In 1964 the Royal Air Force specified a requirement for a new initial jet trainer to replace the Folland Gnat. The SEPECAT Jaguar was originally intended for this role, but it was soon realised that it would be too complex an aircraft for initial jet training. Accordingly, in 1968 Hawker Siddeley began the design of a much simpler strictly subsonic trainer, the HS.1182. It was to have tandem seating and would be capable of carrying armaments, which would enable it to be used as a weapons trainer and in light combat roles.

Image:Raf hawk t1a xx205 arp.jpg
Royal Air Force Hawker Siddeley Hawk T.1A (XX205) at Kemble Airport, England, with its pilot. This aircraft is dedicated to aerobatic demonstrations so is in a special colour scheme.

Renamed "Hawk" in 1973, the aircraft first flew in 1974. It entered RAF service in April 1976, replacing the Gnat and Hawker Hunter in the advanced training and weapons training roles respectively. The following year Hawker Siddeley merged with other British aircraft companies to form the nationalised British Aerospace (BAe), which subsequently became BAE Systems upon merger with Marconi Electronic Systems in 1999.

The most famous RAF operator of the Hawk is the Red Arrows aerobatic team, which adopted the plane in 1979. The Finnish Air Force aerobatics team, the Midnight Hawks, also uses the aircraft.

The Hawk has excellent manoeuvrability, and while it is not capable of supersonic speed in level flight, it can attain Mach 1.2 in a dive, allowing trainees to experience transsonic handling without the cost of a supersonic trainer.

The Hawk subsequently replaced the English Electric Canberra in the target towing role.

The Royal Navy acquired a dozen Hawk T.Mk 1/1As from the RAF, for use as aerial targets for the training of ships gunners and radar operators.

[edit] Variants

[edit] Hawk T.1/T.1A

Image:Hawk.t1a.xx188.arp.jpg
Hawk T.1A of the RAF, marking the 85th anniversary of No.4 Flight Training School

The T.1 ("Trainer Mark 1") was the original version of the Hawk used by the RAF, deliveries commencing in November 1976. The UK ordered 176 T1s.

From 1983 to 1986, some Hawks were equipped as the short-range interceptor aircraft for point defence. 88 T.1s were modified to carry two AIM-9L Sidewinder air-to-air missiles in addition to the centerline gun pod carrying a single 30 mm ADEN cannon. These aircraft were designated T.1A. In the event of war, they would have worked in collaboration with Tornado F.3 aircraft, which would use their Foxhunter search radars to vector the radarless Hawks against enemy targets. Such missions would have been flown by instructor pilots. Conversions were completed in 1986. With the fall of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War, RAF Hawks are no longer tasked with this role.

80 T.1s are being upgraded under the Fuselage Replacement Programme (FRP), which involves the replacement of the aft centre and rear fuselage sections, using new build sections derived from the Mk. 60.

[edit] Hawk 50

The Hawk 50 was the original export trainer version, and offered a limited attack capability. Finland, Indonesia and Kenya ordered 89 of this variant.

  • Hawk 51 - Export version for the Finnish Air Force.
  • Hawk 51A - Seven Hawks were sold to Finland as part of a follow-on order.
  • Hawk 52 - Export version for the Kenyan Air Force.
  • Hawk 53 - Export version for the Indonesian Air Force.

[edit] Hawk 60

Another export version, replacing the Hawk 50, intended for conversion and weapons training. Weapons carriage is increased. It is a two-seater, has uprated Rolls-Royce Adour 861 engines, and is capable of a level speed at altitude of 555 knots (1028 km/h) or Mach 0.84. The T-45 Goshawk was derived from this version.[1][2]

  • Hawk 60 - Export version for the Air Force of Zimbabwe. Eight Hawks were sold to Zimbabwe, they were delivered between July and October of 1982.
  • Hawk 60A -Five Hawks were sold to Zimbabwe as part of a follow-on order. The aircraft were delivered between June and September of 1992.
  • Hawk 61 - Export version for Dubai, United Arab Emirates Air Force
  • Hawk 63 - Export version for Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates Air Force.
  • Hawk 63A - 15 Hawk 63s were upgraded to this standard.
  • Hawk 63C - Four aircraft were sold to Adu Dhabi as part of a follow-on order.
  • Hawk 64 - Export version for the Kuwait Air Force.
  • Hawk 65 - Export version for the Royal Saudi Air Force.
  • Hawk 65A - 20 were sold to Saudi Arabia as part of a follow-on order.
  • Hawk 66 - Export version for the Swiss Air Force.
  • Hawk 67 - Export version for the South Korean Air Force.

[edit] Hawk 100

Image:BAeSystemsHawk102D.jpg
BAE Systems Hawk 120D at RIAT 2005

A two-seat advanced weapons trainer with additional avionics, including forward looking infrared (optional, fitted to Malaysian aircraft), a redesigned wing and HOTAS.

  • Hawk 102 - Export version for Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates Air Force.
  • Hawk 103 - Export version for the Royal Air Force Of Oman.
  • Hawk 108 - Export version for the Royal Malaysian Air Force. (10)
  • Hawk 109 - Export version for the Indonesian Air Force. (8)
  • Hawk 115 - Export version for the Canadian Forces, designated 'CT-155 Hawk' in Canadian service.
  • Hawk 129 - Export version for Bahrain. (6)
Image:HawkMk120.jpg
South African Air Force Hawk Mk.120

[edit] Hawk 120/LIFT

The Hawk Lead In Fighter Trainer (LIFT) is the version selected by the South African Air Force in December 1999. This variant is powered by the Adour 951. The LIFT benefits from development carried out for the Australian Mk.127. The next generation Hawks (120, 127 and 128) feature a new wing, forward and centre fuselage, fin and tailplane. The aircraft have only 10% commonality with the existing first generation aircraft. The new variants also have four times the fatigue life of the original aircraft. 24 aircraft will be delivered.

[edit] Hawk 127

Thirty three Hawk 127 Lead in Fighters (LIFs) were ordered by the Royal Australian Air Force in June 1997, twelve of which were produced in the UK and twenty one in Australia. This variant is also powered by the Adour 871. The Hawk 127 is operated by No. 76 (New South Wales) and No. 79 (Western Australia) Squadrons of the RAAF.

[edit] Hawk 128

The Hawk 128 is the new Advanced Jet Trainer (AJT) for the RAF and Royal Navy. The Mk.128 includes modern LCD displays instead of conventional instrumentation, and allows preparation for flying modern fighter aircraft, particularly the all "glass" Typhoon. It has Rolls-Royce Adour 951 engines. The UK Ministry of Defence awarded a Design and Development Contract to BAE Systems on 22 Dec 2004, [3] building on the design of the Australian Mk.127 and the South African Mk.120s. A £450 million contract was signed in October 2006 for the production of 28 Hawk 128s. [4] The MoD had originally announced its intention to order 20 aircraft with options for 24 more.

[edit] Hawk 129

The Hawk 129 is a variant for the Royal Bahraini Air Force (RBAF). Six aircraft were ordered in 2002 for delivery in 2006.

[edit] Hawk 132

The latest export variant of the Hawk (previously described as the Mk.115Y). The Mk.132 is destined to enter service with the Indian Air Force (IAF) after one of the most protracted procurement processes in history, with two decades having elapsed between the initial interest and the contract signing on March 26 2004. The IAF will receive 24 aircraft directly from BAE Systems starting in 2007 with 42 more to be assembled by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited during 2008-10. The Indian Navy is also likely to order a small number. Further orders will be a function of how quickly India is able to develop the Combat Air Trainer, a twin-engined trainer derived from the HAL HJT-36 Sitara, whose model was displayed at the Aero India 2005 air show in February 2005. The first aircraft have been delivered, with four more scheduled for delivery to the IAF by year end 2007. Further deliveries will follow in early 2008.[citation needed]

[edit] Hawk 200

The Hawk 200 is a single seat, lightweight multirole combat fighter with emphasis on air defence, air superiority, anti-shipping, air-denial, long range interdiction, short range close air support and ground attack. The aircraft is fitted with the AN/APG-66H, an advanced version of the F-16A APG-66 radar with multimode systems. The aircraft is able to be equipped with the AIM-9 Sidewinder and AGM-65 Maverick. The Malaysian aircraft has the most extensive modification to the aircraft with illumination "slime" lights, wingtip AAMs and inflight refuelling. Its aircraft have been involved in major long-range deployments to areas such as Sabah and the Spratly Islands. Indonesia, Malaysia and Oman have ordered 62 aircraft.

  • Hawk 203 - Export version for the Royal Air Force Of Oman.
  • Hawk 205 - Proposed export version for the Royal Saudi Air Force.
  • Hawk 208 - Export version for the Royal Malaysian Air Force. (18)
  • Hawk 209 - Export version for the Indonesian Air Force. (32)

[edit] T-45 Goshawk

Main article: T-45 Goshawk

The T-45 Goshawk is a fully carrier-capable aircraft developed from the Hawk 60 for the United States Navy for use in carrier training.[1]

[edit] Hawk Advanced Jet Trainer 2

Hawk Advanced Jet Trainer 2 (AJT 2) is a concept for an advanced jet trainer for current and future customers.

[edit] Operators

[edit] Current operators

Image:BAeCT155Hawk155217.JPG
BAe CT155 Hawk serial number 155217 in Canadian service at CFB Moose Jaw, 3 November 2005
Image:Flag of Australia.svg Australia
Image:Flag of Bahrain.svg Bahrain

Royal Bahraini Air Force

The Bahraini air force operates 6 Hawks.

Image:Flag of Canada.svg Canada
Image:Flag of Finland.svg Finland
  • Finnish Air Force
    • No. 41 Squadron
    • 50 Hawk Mk.51s were purchased in 1980, 7 additional Mk.51As were delivered in 1993-94 to make up for losses. 18 Mk.66s are to be delivered in 2009 to expand the lifespan of the Hawk fleet up until 2017-2019.[5] Finnish Hawks are sometimes seen armed with Russian Molniya R-60/AA-8.[6]
Image:Flag of India.svg India
Image:Flag of Indonesia.svg Indonesia
Image:Flag of Kenya.svg Kenya
Image:Flag of Kuwait.svg Kuwait
Image:Flag of Malaysia.svg Malaysia
Image:Flag of Oman.svg Oman
Image:Flag of Saudi Arabia.svg Saudi Arabia
Image:Flag of South Africa.svg South Africa
Image:Flag of South Korea.svg South Korea
Image:Flag of the United Kingdom.svg United Kingdom
Image:Flag of the United Arab Emirates.svg United Arab Emirates
Image:Flag of Zimbabwe.svg Zimbabwe

[edit] Potential future sales and upgrades

There are a lot of potential operators for the BAE Hawk and thus also a large potential for future Hawk orders. BAE Systems reckons they can sell another 400 or so Hawks over the next ten years. Here is a small overview of potential customers in the next 10 years.[citation needed]

Image:Flag of the United Kingdom.svg United Kingdom

Royal Air Force

With currently 28 BAE Systems Hawk 128s on order, the RAF is expected to order further batches with a total of 44 aircraft mentioned first with the UK order. The final number might be significantly higher than this.[citation needed]

Image:Flag of India.svg India

There have been reports [1]that the Indian Navy wants to buy about 18 BAE Systems Hawk 132s or BAE Systems/Boeing T45 Goshawks. The Indian Air Force is also said to want more Hawks.

Image:Flag of Bahrain.svg Bahrain

Bahrain has received 6 Hawks and has another 6 options. BAE Systems is working to secure a conversion of the options into orders.

Image:Flag of Saudi Arabia.svg Saudi Arabia

Janes reported in June 2007 that BAE Systems is in talks with the government of Saudi-Arabia about an eventual purchase of up to 60 Hawk Advanced Jet Trainers. Some of these would probably be final assembled in the Eurofighter Typhoon factory that will be built in Saudi-Arabia by BAE Systems [2].

Image:Flag of Indonesia.svg Indonesia

An Indonesian newspaper reported [3]in early 2007 that the Indonesian Air Force was likely to buy BAE Systems Hawks, if the budget to do so could be found. The most likely number of aircraft would be about 12.

Image:Flag of Brunei.svg Brunei

Brunei is reported to be looking at about 12 light combat aircraft, with the BAE Systems Hawk one contender [4].

Image:Flag of Oman.svg Oman

The Royal Air Force of Oman is said to be interested in upgrading their Hawk 200s by adding Paveway capabilities.[citation needed]

Image:Flag of Greece.svg Greece

The Greek Air Force has a requirement for about 40 advanced jet trainers with the BAE Systems Hawk one of the contenders. BAE Systems signed an agreement [5] with HAI for potential collaboration if the BAE Systems Hawk wins the contest.

Image:Flag of Singapore.svg Singapore

Singapore is expected to launch a competition in 2008 for up to 20 advanced jet trainers, the BAE Systems Hawk is expected to be one of the main contenders [6].

Image:Flag of Israel.svg Israel

Israel is expected to buy about 40 advanced jet trainers, strong links to the USA means that the BAE Systems/Boeing T45 Goshawk is a very strong contender [7].

[edit] Former operators

Image:Flag of Switzerland.svg Switzerland
  • Swiss Air Force: 20 Hawk Mk.66s were bought in 1992 but were quite sparsely used. They were withdrawn from use in 2002 and stored. In June 2007 18 of them were sold to Finland for 41 million euros and they are to be delivered in 2009-2010.[7]

[edit] Specifications (Hawk 128)

Data from Royal Air Force,[8] BAE Systems,[9] and Air Vectors[10]

General characteristics

  • Crew: 2: student, instructor
  • Length: 12.43 m (40 ft 9 in)
  • Wingspan: 9.94 m (32 ft 7 in)
  • Height: 3.98 m (13 ft 1 in)
  • Wing area: 16.70 m² (179.64 ft²)
  • Empty weight: 4,480 kg (9,880 lb)
  • Useful load: 3,000 kg (6,600 lb)
  • Max takeoff weight: 9,100 kg (20,000 lb)
  • Powerplant:Rolls-Royce Adour Mk.951 turbofan with FADEC, 29 kN (6,500 lbf)

Performance

Armament

Note: all armament is optional.
  • 1× 30 mm ADEN cannon, in centreline pod
  • Up to 6,800 lb (3,085 kg) of weapons on five hardpoints, including:
  • 1,500 lb (680 kg), limited to one centreline and two wing pylons (Hawk T.1)
For an explanation of the units and abbreviations in this list, please see Wikipedia:WikiProject Aircraft/Units key.

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b Donald, David: Warplanes of the Fleet, page 175. AIRtime Publishing Inc, 2004. ISBN 1-880588-81-1
  2. ^ Frawley, Gerard: The International Directory of Military Aircraft, page 48. Aerospace Publications Pty Ltd, 2002. ISBN 1-875671-55-2
  3. ^ "Hawk Advanced Jet Trainer", Hansard Column 333W, 2005-01-26. 
  4. ^ "BAE lands £450m Hawks contract", Blackpool Today, 2006-10-20. Retrieved on 2006-10-20. 
  5. ^ Finland Purchases 18 Jet Trainers (Mk.66) from Switzerland
  6. ^ Missile armed Hawk BAe Hawk with R-60
  7. ^ "Suomi hankkii lisää Hawk-hävittäjiä". Finnish Broadcasting Agency (YLE), 2007-06-28. Retrieved on 2007-06-28. (Finnish)
  8. ^ Royal Air Force (2005-04-29). Hawk 128. Aircraft of the RAF. Retrieved on 2006-04-12.
  9. ^ BAE Systems. Hawk. BAE Systems - Air Systems. Retrieved on 2006-04-12.
  10. ^ Goebel, Greg (2006-03-01). The BAE Hawk. Air Vectors. Retrieved on 2006-04-12.

[edit] External links

[edit] Related content

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BAE Hawk

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See also

  • Portal:British aircraft since World War II

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