Country of origin:

United Kingdom

Description:

Two-seat advanced operational military trainer

Power Plant:

One 5,850 lbst Rolls Royce/Turbomeca Mk 871 Adour turbofan

Specifications:

Armament:

Range of weapons on five stations including up to five 450 kg (1,000 lb) bombs; four air-to-air missiles; four AGM-65 Maverick air-to-surface missiles; one 30 mm Aden gun pod on centre line; max weapons load 3,000 kg (6,614 lb)

History:

In 1971 Hawker Siddeley and British Aerospace were selected to design and build the HS.1182 trainer for the RAF, and since then more than 700 examples have been supplied to many of the world’s air forces in a variety of models. The prototype Hawk (XX154) began flight trials on 21 August 1974 with a 5,300 lbst Rolls Royce/Turbomeca Adour turbofan, and was followed by five operational aircraft (serials XX156 to XX160), entering service with the RAF as the T Mk 1 at the Central Flying School in 1976.

Initial order for the RAF was for 175 aircraft. In due course the Hawk entered service with the RAF’s “Red Arrows” aerobatic team of nine aircraft, this unit visiting a number of countries, including the Soviet Union, the United States and, in January 1996, Australia, when the team performed over Sydney Harbour during Australia Day celebrations. The ‘Red Arrows‘ were also photographed over Ayres Rock, NT. The aircraft involved on the Australian visit were: XX227, XX233, XX237, XX260, XX264, XX266, XX292, XX307 and XX308.

Operators of the Hawk have included Finland (Mk 51), Kenya (Mk 52), Indonesia (Mk 53), Zimbabwe (Mk 60), Dubai (Mk 61) and Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates (Mk 63), Kuwait (Mk 64), Saudi Arabia (Mk 65) and others.

In later years the Hawk was offered in two variants, the Mk 100 two-seat attack-capable trainer, and the Mk 200 single-seat light combat aircraft. The Mk 100 had a modified ‘combat wing’ with fixed leading-edge droop to give better lift and manoeuvrability, side-mounted horizontal root tailfins, modified flaps to allow the aircraft to sustain 5G at sea level at 556 km/h (345 mph), up-rated engines and, in the Australian aircraft, the latest in glass-cockpit technology.

Aerodynamic prototype of the Mk 100 flew on 21 October 1987 (G-HAWK / ZA101) and customers for this variant have included Malaysia, Indonesia, Oman and Abu Dhabi. The type in much modified form was also supplied to the US Navy as the McDonnell Douglas T-45 Goshawk, this model for a time being one of the front-runners for the RAAF order, along with the Macchi MB-339.

Probably the first Hawk seen in Australia was a Hawk 108 demonstrator (TUDM – M40-02) leased by British Aerospace from the Royal Malaysian Air Force in 1995 and flown to Australia for a sales tour, being flown over Parliament House, Canberra, ACT for photographs by Major Zamzam with BAe test pilot John Turner.

A variety of weapons up to 2,722 kg (6,000 lb) could be carried on the five stores pylons, up to 515 kg (1,136 lb) on each, including a 30 mm Aden cannon, rockets, bombs, external fuel tanks, air-to-air missiles, and ECM and reconnaissance pods. Martin Baker Mk 10H rocket- assisted ejection seats were fitted. Total internal fuel capacity was 1,705 litres (375 Imp gals) and up to 1,725 litres (380 Imp gals) could be carried externally.

In November 1996 the Australian Government announced an order had been placed with British Aerospace for the supply of 33 Hawk 100s (serials A27-01 to A27-33) to enter service with the RAAF in 2000. At that time the RAAF had a need for a replacement for the Macchi MB-326 and required a Lead-in Fighter capable of providing pilots with the necessary skills to advance to the McDonnell Douglas FA-18 Hornet. Although closely based on the Hawk 100, the Australian aircraft had a number of revisions and thus were slightly different to RAF aircraft. These changes included a bolt-on in-flight refuelling probe in the nose, allowing the sphere of operations to be greatly increased, and also allowing RAAF pilots to train in the art of in-flight refuelling prior to moving on to other aircraft. Power was provided by the Rolls Royce Turbomeca Adour Mk 871 modular, twin-spool, low bypass turbofan engine producing 5,845 lbst.

Major changes were also made in the cockpit area, these including different avionics and flight systems. It was necessary for the Hawk instrumentation to be changed to be similar to that of the RAAF’s main fighter, the McDonnell Douglas FA-18, and thus had three 12.7 cm (5 in) MFD screens designed by Smiths Industries. The aircraft HUD/WAC unit was also modified, and a new Inertial Navigation and Global Positioning System was installed. The flying controls were improved with a number of new operating modes being added to the existing HOTAS arrangement.

One important change was the development of a Normalair-Garret On-Board Oxygen Generation System to supply the crew with continuous oxygen, this being able to provide breathable, clean-air at altitude for an indefinite period. This system also removed the need for ground-based oxygen support facilities at remote airfields. An upgraded Auxiliary Power Unit was installed and this provided power and cooling for the aircraft avionics whilst on the ground, reducing dependency on ground support facilities.

The first Mk 127, or 127LIF as it has become known, initially carried an RAF serial (ZJ632), and was first flown in December 1999. It later became A27-01. The first twelve aircraft were built in the United Kingdom and flown to Australia, the first two in March 2000 and the remaining ten at two per month. The other 21 aircraft were supplied in kit form and assembled at a new British Aerospace facility at Williamtown, NSW, the final aircraft being delivered in late 2006.

Aircraft assembled in Australia were produced by a consortium comprising BAe Australia, Hunter Aerospace, Hawker de Havilland and Qantas. On-going maintenance has taken place at the Company’s facility at Williamtown.

The Hawk 127 entered RAAF service in October 2000 with No 76 Squadron at Williamtown, (18 aircraft) and No 79 Squadron at Pearce, WA (14 aircraft), both being part of No 78 Wing with additional aircraft on loan to BAe Systems for completion of the flight test instrumentation installation. The RAAF Hawk 127s have been painted in an overall two-tone grey colour scheme, this being light grey underneath and blue-grey on top. By late 2015 33 examples were still in operation with the RAAF and were undergoing an upgrade under AIR 5438 Lead-In Fighter Capability Assurance Program.