BAE on course to roll out next-gen training aircraft after successfully testing new Hawk prototype

BAE Systems has successfully tested a new, upgraded version of its flagship Hawk aircraft at a military facility in Lancashire.

The global defence and aerospace company’s new demonstration aircraft – the Advanced Hawk – builds on the success of its previous Hawk trainer jets and is capable of achieving supersonic speeds during dives.

The prototype jet is expected to take on the next generation of training aircraft and comes with a redesigned wing for better performance not only during take-off and landing but also in other key areas such as turn rates and angles of attack.

The Advanced Hawk has increased stores capability for weapons, a new set of defensive aids and a range of new flight systems for “increased operational utility”.

The upgraded demonstrator also houses a redesigned cockpit and a large area display.

“The successful first flight of the Advanced Hawk concept demonstrator is the latest step in the aircraft’s development and marks a significant milestone in Hawk’s capability upgrade,” Steve Timms, of BAE Systems, said.

“We already have the world’s leading advanced jet trainer and the new features in Advanced Hawk have been developed after listening to our customers’ views on where fast jet pilot training will go in the future and how we ensure the Hawk continues to meet their requirements.

“By using this demonstrator aircraft we have highlighted to existing users of Hawk that many of the proposed features of an Advanced Hawk, such as the large area display and new wing, could be achievable as upgrades.”

Although the Hawk was designed as a training aircraft, it is fully capable of being used during live combat.
 
The Advanced Hawk was unveiled at Aero India 2017 in Bangalore earlier this year and is expected to undergo a series of flights so engineers can collect test data and monitor all the new enhancements.