In 1964 the Royal Air Force had a need to replace both the Folland Gnat and the Hawker Hunter in the advanced training role. The initial plan to replace them with a two-seat version of the SEPECAT Jaguar fell through as the aircraft was considered too complex.
The RAF put out an Air Staff Target which listed their requirements and they were answered with three proposals. One proposal was from Dassault\Dornier for their Alpha Jet, another came from British Aircraft Corporation and the last came from Hawker Siddeley Aviation. By 1971 the RAF has chosen the HSA proposal and the Hawk was born; an initial contract for 176 aircraft was issued with the first flying in 1974. In 1977 HSA merged with other companies to become British Aerospace (BAe).
Being a trainer aircraft the Hawk was fitted with a stepped tandem cockpit which gives the instructor, in the rear seat, good visibility due to the height advantage. The Hawk features good low speed performance and a wide landing gear which offers a forgiving environment for the trainee. The Hawks also features a single turbofan engine and can be fitted with up to four hardpoints although the RAF usually only fits two as well as a centreline gun pod, the 30mm Aden cannon which was also used on the Harrier fleet.
The first 176 aircraft were known as the Hawk T.Mk. 1 and entered service in 1976 and are; in fact, still in service with the RAF. It was only in 2009 that the T1 began to be replaced by the newer T.Mk. 2 model. The T1 model also became the aircraft of choice for the Red Arrows, the famous aerobatic team of the RAF. Between 1983 and 1989 about 88 T.Mk. 1’s were upgraded to T.Mk. 1A status and modified to carry AIM-9L Sidewinders. In the event of war breaking out with the Soviet Union the plan was for the small, radar-less Hawk to be guided towards Soviet targets by the Tornado F3; a rather awkward solution to combatting the large number of aircraft the USSR was capable of fielding.
The Hawk was designed with export in mind and would experience no shortage in customers. The original export version, the Hawk Mk. 50, was picked up by Finland (Mk. 51 & Mk. 51A), Kenya (Mk. 52) and Indonesia (Mk. 53). The Finnish models have received various upgrades over the years including the ability to carry Russian air-to-air missiles while the Indonesian Hawks were used in combat over East Timor which created no end of controversy in the United Kingdom.
The next export variant was the Hawk Mk. 60 series which had much improved combat capabilities and was picked up Zimbabwe (Mk. 60 & Mk. 60A), the United Arab Emirates (Mk. 61, Mk. 63, Mk. 63A & Mk. 63C), Kuwait (Mk. 64), Saudi Arabia (Mk. 65 & Mk. 65A), Switzerland (MK. 66) and South Korea (Mk. 67). Considering the rather poor and often strained relations between Zimbabwe and the United Kingdom I’m completely baffled as to how or why BAe sold the country military hardware; it sounds like a deal that would cause a great deal of public outcry in the U.K.
A significant redevelopment of the Hawk Mk. 60 led to the T-45 Goshawk, a United States Navy specific trainer developed for carrier operations. The Goshawk has been designed for lower approach speeds and has been fitted with an arresting hook as well as a catapult tow bar; It is now being used to train USN and USMC pilots.
Following the Mk. 60 series British Aerospace developed the more capable Mk. 100 series. The Mk. 100 series featured a new engine, a redesigned ‘glass’ cockpit with Hand On Stick and Throttle technology, a redesigned wing featuring 2 pylons and one wingtip launch rail for AIM-9 Sidewinders and a Forward Looking Infrared Red Laser in the nose. The Mk. 100 series has been trialled with Sea Eagle anti-ship missiles and the AGM-65 Maverick although I have never been able to fully ascertain what exactly a Mk. 100 series Hawk can carry. Although it has been trailed with both of the weapons above I’m not sure if either have been cleared for use. I do know the Hawk can use the AIM-9L Sidewinder, the BL-755 Cluster Bomb and probably the Mk. 80 series of U.S bombs.
The Mk. 100 series has sold to the United Arab Emirates (this usually means Abu Dhubi, arguably the richest of the Emirates), Oman, Malaysia, Indonesia, Canada and the little Kingdom of Bahrain which operates 6 Hawks.
Australia also ordered the Hawk, the Mk. 127, which featured a specially designed cockpit simulating the cockpit of a F/A-18 Hornet. The Mk. 127 also features a detachable refueling probe for in-flight refueling training. Due to all these various upgrades the Mk. 127 has been officially designated the Hawk Lead in Fighter (LIF). Further developments with the Hawk Lif led to the Hawk Lead in Fighter Trainer (LIFT). The Hawk LIFT has been sold to South Africa (Mk. 120), the Royal Air Force and Royal Navy (Mk. 128, also known as the T.Mk. 2) and India (Mk. 132).
The other variant of the Hawk in service today is the Mk. 200. The Mk. 200 is very different from all other versions of the Hawk. Rather than being a trainer model the Mk. 200 is a single seat multi-role fighter aircraft which has been cleared for a wide range of different weapons. Although BAe is focusing more on the sale of its two seat models it has found customers for the advanced Mk. 200 in Oman, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia and Indonesia.
The main competitor for the Hawk is the Dassault\Dornier Alpha Jet but as you can see the sale of Hawks has been going well and it has proven to be a popular aircraft for both training and combat. Many countries operating the Hawk, particularly the Mk. 100 and Mk. 200, use it in an aerial defence role equipped with the AIM-9 Sidewinder. The Hawk has also found itself to popular with aerobatic teams; it serves with the Red Arrows of the Royal Air Force, the Jupiter Blue team of the Indonesia Air Force, the Midnight Hawks of the Finnish Air Force and the Saudi Hawks Aerobatic Team.
With various upgrade packages being applied the Hawk looks to be in service with many countries for the next two decades at the least.
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