How many hawks does the raf have

The SEPECAT Jaguar was originally intended for this role, but it was soon realised that it would be too complex an aircraft for fast jet training and only a small number of two-seat versions were purchased. The design team was led by Ralph Hooper. This project was funded by the company as a private venture, in anticipation of possible RAF interest. The design was conceived of as having tandem seating and a combat capability in addition to training, as it was felt the latter would improve export sales potential.

The prototype aircraft first flew on 21 August All development aircraft were built on production jigs; the program remained on time and to budget throughout. This variant had been specifically designed for the dual-role of lightweight fighter and advanced trainer; it had a greater weapons capacity than the T. More variants of the Hawk followed and common improvements to the base design typically include increased range, more powerful engines, redesigned wing and undercarriage, the addition of radar and forward-looking infrared FLIR , GPS navigation, and night vision compatibility.

In a derivative of the Hawk was selected by the United States Navy as their new trainer aircraft. Designated the McDonnell Douglas T Goshawk , the design was navalised and strengthened to withstand operating directly from the decks of carriers in addition to typical land-based duties; [8] This T entered service in ; initial aircraft has analogue cockpits, while later deliveries featured a digital glass cockpit. All airframes are planned to undergo avionics upgrades to a common standard.

During the s and s, British Aerospace, the successor company to Hawker Siddeley, was trying to gain export sales of the variable-wing Panavia Tornado strike aircraft; however countries such as Thailand and Indonesia , whom had shown initial interest in the Tornado, concluded that the Hawk to be a more suitable and preferable aircraft for their requirements.

The Hawk is an advanced trainer with a two-man tandem cockpit, a low-mounted cantilever wing and is powered by a single turbofan engine. Unlike many of the previous trainers in RAF service, the Hawk was specifically designed for training.

The design of the fuselage included a height differential between the two seats of the cockpit; this provided generous levels of visibility for the instructor in the rear seat.

During the aircraft's development, Hawker had worked closely with Rolls-Royce to reduce the engine's fuel consumption and to ensure a high level of reliability. Even within the development stages, a Hawk variant was intended to also serve as a single-seat ground-attack fighter; both the trainer and fighter models were developed with the export market in mind.

SAAF Hawk landing. The Hawk was designed to be manoeuvrable and can reach Mach 0. A ram air turbine is fitted in front of the single tail fin to provide backup hydraulic power for the flight controls in the event of an engine failure, [29] additionally a gas turbine auxiliary power unit is housed directly above the engine.

The Hawk is designed to carry a centreline gun pod, such as the 30 mm ADEN cannon , two under-wing pylons, and up to four hardpoints for fitting armaments and equipment. In the early s, British Aerospace investigated the possibility of arming the Hawk with the Sea Eagle anti-ship missile for export customers. The most famous users of the Hawk is the Red Arrows aerobatic team, which adopted the plane in From to , some Hawks were equipped as short-range interceptor aircraft.

The Hawk subsequently replaced the English Electric Canberra for target towing duties. In August , a Red Arrows pilot was killed when his Hawk T1 crashed following a display at the Bournemouth Air Festival, the inquest found "G-force impairment" may have caused the pilot to lose control; [37] the Hawk T1 fleet was grounded as a precautionary measure and returned to flight status a few days later. The Finnish Air Force was limited to 60 first-line fighter aircraft by the Paris Peace Treaty of ; by acquiring Hawks, which counted as trainers rather than fighters, capacity could be increased while continuing treaty compliance.

These conditions were nullified at the break-up of the Soviet Union. Seven additional Mk. In June , Finland arranged to purchase 18 used Hawk Mk. Due to rising levels of metal fatigue, 41 out of 67 in Finland's total Hawk fleet will be taken out of service between —; the remaining aircraft are younger and thus are expected to be flying into the s. On 23 February , the Hawk Mk. In April , Indonesia , seeking to increase its aerial capabilities, placed the first of multiple orders for the Hawk.

The Hawks have been the backbone of Indonesian Air Force, supplementing more advanced and expensive aircraft such as the F Fighting Falcon. As of [ when? Zimbabwe's Hawks were used during the Second Congo War. Numerous airstrikes were conducted in support of the Congolese Army against Rwandan, Ugandan and rebel forces in — During the s, a prospective sale of 63 Hawk trainers to Iraq was considered by the British government. After considerable deliberation the sale was blocked.

According to insiders, major decisions will include cutting the number of Boeing E-7 Wedgetail surveillance aircraft from five to three and axing the purchase of 90 F fighter jets to leave just 48 while the RAF focuses on developing the new Tempest. Boris Johnson previously described this defence review as the largest review of its kind since the Cold War. You must be logged in to post a comment. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam.

Learn how your comment data is processed. Get the best aviation news, stories and features from The Aviation Geek Club in our newsletter, delivered straight to your inbox. Log In Sign Up. The Aviation Geek Club. Airshows Military Aviation. By Dario Leone. Top speed mph 1, kph.

Range 1, miles 2, km. Did you know? The Red Arrows have been displaying since This film shows the aircraft moving to its new home from the conservation hangar.

XX This aircraft was built in and was used by the Red Arrows from until