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British Aerospace Hawk

The British Aerospace Hawk started life as the Hawker-Siddeley P1182 which won the competition for a new advanced trainer for the RAF in 1971. The prototype flew in 1974. The British Aerospace Hawk is a small, single engine, two-seat advanced trainer, which entered RAF service in 1976, to replace the Gnat and later the Jet Provost in RAF service.

Since the Hawk is such a responsive, agile and predictable aircraft, students remain with the Hawk throughout their advanced training syllabus, it is also a capable front line fighter carrying war-loads up to 3100 kg. These are carried beneath the fuselage and on four under wing pylons.

Worldwide sales of the British Aerospace Hawk now exceed 900 aircraft to 19 customers. The most significant order came from the US Navy who selected the Hawk as the basis for its advanced jet strike training program. Known as the T-45 Goshawk.

Red Arrows

In the winter of 1979/80 the Red Arrows took delivery of the Hawk,  it replaced the Hawker Siddeley Gnats which the Red Arrows had flown since 1965. Aside from its paint scheme the Red Arrows Hawk differs little from the standard T Mk1. Each of the teams aircraft carries a ventral 318 liter tank containing diesel oil and red and blue dye, in separate compartments. On selection these fluids are pumped to three jet pipe nozzles where the hot temperature produces the smoke.

 Boeing T-45 Goshawk 

The Boeing (former McDonnell Douglas) T-45A Goshawk is the US Navy's two-seat advanced jet trainer. The aircraft is jointly manufactured by Boeing and BAE Systems. The T-45A was selected to meet the US Navy requirement for an undergraduate jet pilot trainer to replace the TA-4J Skyhawk and T-2C Buckeye. The TA-4J was retired in 2003 and the T-2 will be retired in September 2004.The T-45A entered service with the US Navy in January 1992. From aircraft number 84 (first flown on  October 21, 1997), production switched to the T-45C variant, which features a new "Cockpit 21" with two 5-inch square monochrome CRT screens. The US Navy and Marine Corps have more than 160 T-45 Goshawks and a total of 234 is planned. The T-45TS pilot training scheme includes advanced simulators and computer assisted instruction as well as training flight programs.

 Several modifications to the basic Hawk airframe were incorporated into the T-45 Goshawk design including: new twin nose-wheel with catapult launch T-bar; nose wheel steering for maneuvering within the confines of the carrier deck; strengthened airframe and undercarriage for catapult launches; relocated speed brakes; provision of under-fuselage tail hook; revised avionics; and modified cockpit layout for compatibility with frontline US Navy combat aircraft.

British Aerospace Hawk/Mc Donnell Douglas T-45 Goshawk written-off by accidents:

Zimbabwe Air Force 3 more Hawks are written-off.

Research : R. Vogelaar

Last page-update  © zap16.com 11-Oct-2007