RAF Valley
BAe Hawks
Other Articles

Tail Gunner: 98 Raids
in World War II
by
Chan Chandler
|
|
The following
article appeared in the
2004 edition of The
Royal Air Force Yearbook,
a highly recommended read
for all those interested
in the RAF.
Many thanks
to the editor of the Yearbook
(Peter March)
for permission to use
this piece.
Click here
to visit the RAF
Benevolent Fund
web site.
The article
was written by Gordon
G. Bartley.
|
 |
As
we approach the 30th Anniversary
of the Hawker Siddeley Hawk's
maiden flight, Gordon G.
Bartley ARPS looks back
at the origins of this outstanding
jet trainer, and forward
to the entry into service
of its 'digital' successor,
the BAE Systems Hawk 128. |
HAWK
FRONTLINE
TRAINER PAST PRESENT &
FUTURE
|
Since
the start of the jet age,
the Royal Air Force has
operated a number of thoroughbred
aircraft in the Advanced
Flying Training role, most
notably the Gloster Meteor,
de Havilland Vampire and
Hawker Hunter, all of which
were ordered in large numbers.
To this list, some would
add the diminutive Folland
Gnat, even though the aircraft's
handling characteristics,
particularly on take-off
and landing, required super-human
agility on the part of the
student pilot or Instructor.
By the late-1960s. however,
it was becoming increasingly
apparent to the RAF that
it urgently needed to
replace both the Gnat
and the Hunter, which
were operating in the
Advanced Flying Training
and Tactical Weapons Training
roles respectively. At
that time, student pilots
undertook Elementary Flying.
Training on the DHC Chipmunk
and Basic Flying Training
on the Hunting/BAC Jet
Provost. They were then
streamed into either Multi-Engine
Pilot Training or Fast
Jet for the Advanced Flying
Training portion of the
training syllabus.
It was against this background
that the RAF Operational
Requirements Board (ORB),
influenced by developments
in the United States (most
notably the supersonic
Northrop T-38 Talon advanced
jet trainer) initially
issued Air Staff Target
(AST) 362. This called
for a twin-engined aircraft
capable of Mach 1.5 in
level flight and able
to operate from wet runways
of just 6,000ft in length.
The aircraft would also
be required to display
excellent handling qualities,
so that stall characteristics
(but not spinning) could
be safely demonstrated
to student pilots. In
addition, cost and international
collaboration on design
and production of the
new aircraft, were considered
to be key elements of
the overall requirement.
The eventual outcome of
AST 362 was the Anglo-French
SEPECAT Jaguar, which
was produced both as a
two-seat operational trainer
and as a single-seat ground
attack and reconnaissance
aircraft.
|
 |
Hawks
replaced Hunters with
No 1 Tactical Weapons
Unit at RAF Brawdy
from January 1978.
BAe. |
|
The two key players in
Britain's rapidly consolidating
aircraft industry, the
British Aircraft Corporation
and Hawker Siddeley, then
turned their attentions
to designing a successor
to the Jet Provost. Their
belief was that RAF's
future flying training
fleet would consist of
the new Scottish Aviation
Bulldog for Elementary
Flying Training, a new
'Basic Jet Trainer' for
Basic Flying Training,
and the two-seat SEPECAT
Jaguar for Advanced Flying
Training.
By early 1968, both companies
had completed extensive
surveys of the global
jet trainer market, and
had embarked on detailed
design studies. However,
the RAF Central Flying
School had also produced
a draft specification
for a Jet Provost replacement
and by October 1968 this
had become the basis of
Air Staff Target (AST)
397. This called for a
medium-sized, single-engined
jet trainer in the 10,000lb
gross weight category,
as this would allow adequate
space for a modest avionics
fit and provide greater
operational flexibility.
The new aircraft would
also feature a tandem
seating arrangement, with
the rear seat raised for
enhanced forward visibility,
and would be required
to demonstrate a circuit
speed of 130kts, a seven
minute climb to 30,000ft,
and a maximum level speed
of 500kts at sea level,
Mach 0.85 at altitude.
The aircraft had to have
sufficient fuel for a
one-hour general handling
sortie at sea level, or
1.5 hours at altitude,
and underwing hardpoints
to permit tactical weapons
training or light ground
attack capability.
For its part, Hawker
Siddeley considered a
substantial number of
both single and twin-engined
design configurations
before arriving at its
preferred solution, the
HS1182AJ. This design
proposal was based around
an unreheated version
of the new Rolls-Royce/Turbomeca
Adour turbofan engine,
giving a measure of commonality
with the new SEPECAT Jaguar.
The HS1182AJ featured
a tandem seating arrangement,
with a low-set wing and
shoulder-mounted air intakes,
a design that promised
good all-round performance
and operational flexibility.
The HS1182 design team
at Kingston-upon-Thames,
was also mindful of a
potentially large export
market that existed for
a |et trainer in this
category, and was confident
that its design solution
would carry the day. In
late 1969, the MoD surprised
both BAC and Hawker Siddeley
by openly referring to
a new 'Intermediate' jet
trainer that would be
required, in sizeable
quantities, from the mid-1970s
onwards. Both companies
suspected that any new
advanced jet trainer submission
would have to be far more
than just a Jet Provost
replacement. Their suspicions
were confirmed early in
1970. when the RAF announced
that the two-seat Jaguar
would be used for operational
conversion only, owing
to its complexity and
operational costs. At
around the same time,
the ORB finally issued
AST 397 to industry. Both
companies then embarked
on a final round of design
refinements, before submitting
their respective proposals.
After detailed consideration
of both the P59 and HS1182AJ
proposals, on 1 October
1971 the MoD announced
that the HS1182AJ had
been selected to fulfil
the requirements of AST
397. In March 1972, Hawker
Siddeley was awarded a
fixed-price contract for
176 HS1182 aircraft, there
being no prototype aircraft
as such, and with production
standard tooling being
used from the outset.
At the insistence of
the RAF. Hawker Siddeley
was also obliged to incorporate
Martin Baker Mk 10 ejection
seats, in place of the
originally proposed lightweight
Folland-designed seats,
and this in turn necessitated
a ten-inch increase in
fuselage length. The RAF
also required the installation
of a gas turbine starter
to help with in-flight
engine relights, as the
Adour was known to be
slow to spool-up in such
circumstances. Hawker
Siddeley had also tried
to find a suitable name
for the new aircraft by
holding a competition
amongst its employees,
but was ultimately overruled
by the RAF which, on 3
August 1973, announced
that the name 'Hawk' had
been selected. By early
1974, production of the
first Hawk (XX154) was
progressing well at Kingston.
The front fuselage section
had been produced in-house
at Kingston, while the
rear fuselage, canopy
and windscreen were fabricated
at Hamble, with the wing,
tailplane and tail fin
being produced at Brough.
The Hawk became the first
British aircraft to be
manufactured entirely
using the metric system
of measurement. By the
summer of 1974, major
sub-assemblies of XX154
had been transferred to
Hawker Siddeley's flight
test and development airfield
at Dunsfold, and it was
there that it underwent
final assembly and painting.
|
The
first Hawk T1 XX154
(1) accompanied by
the second (camouflaged),
third and fourth aircraft
on an early test flight
from Dunsfold.
BAe
|
 |
|
On 12 August 1974, XX154
was formally rolled out
at Dunsfold, sporting
the distinctive red and
white gloss paint scheme
that was characteristic
of all RAF training aircraft
at the time. The aircraft
then passed to the Flight
Test Department at Dunsfold,
where it became the responsibility
of Chief Test Pilot Duncan
Simpson and Hawk Project
Pilot Andy Jones to prepare
the aircraft for its maiden
flight. Duncan Simpson
elected to go for a maiden
flight late on 21 August
and shortly after 1900hrs.
XX154 lifted off from
Dunsfold. at the start
of a comprehensive flight
test programme. Flight
testing progressed smoothly,
and by 28 August 1974,
some nine test flights
had been completed. Confidence
in the aircraft was such
that a move to Farnborough
for the duration of the
SBAC show in September
was approved. Following
display clearance, XX154
flew on each day of the
show, sometimes in appalling
weather conditions, and
impressed everyone with
its performance. The aircraft's
display routine was confined
to gentle manoeuvring,
as it was still an unknown
quantity. The aircraft
remained serviceable throughout
the show -no mean achievement
for an aircraft still
in the initial stages
of flight test and development.
As a product of the late-1960s
and the 1970s, the new
Hawk T1 utilised proven
materials technology and
traditional manufacturing
techniques, which resulted
in a rugged and reliable
airframe, requiring only
the most basic skills
to maintain. For ease
of maintenance, approximately
30 per cent of the surface
area of the Hawk is made
up of access panels.
A further plus point
for the Hawk is its Adour
Mk 151 turbofan engine,
which is of modular construction
for ease of maintenance
and repair. This develops
5,200lb st. and gives
considerable fuel economy
and excellent reserves
of power. The engine drives
two hydraulic pumps for
the dual hydraulic systems.
which operate the aircraft
flying controls. In addition,
the No 1 system operates
the flaps, undercarriage,
airbrake and wheel brakes.
In the event of total
engine failure, or failure
of the No 2 hydraulic
pump, a Ram Air Turbine
located in the fuselage
spine just ahead of the
tailfin extends into the
airstream and provides
emergency power to the
flying controls. Compressed
nitrogen accumulators
are then used to lower
the undercarriage and
flaps.
The Hawk T1 flight test
and development programme
was relatively uneventful,
but minor design changes
were made to the aircraft
to improve control response,
directional stability
and aircraft stall warning/wing
stall characteristics.
Later in the flight test
programme, Duncan Simpson
uncovered a further stalling
problem, when the aircraft
was flown with flaps fully
extended, but with the
undercarriage retracted.
In essence, downwash from
the Hawk's double slotted
flaps was adversely affecting
airflow over the tailplane,
causing it to stall. The
problem was ultimately
rectified by removing
a section of the inboard
flap vane, thereby restoring
adequate airflow over
the tailplane.
In parallel with the
flight test programme,
Hawker Siddeley had also
conducted a comprehensive
weapons clearance programme.
In the summer of 1975,
XX156 underwent a series
of hot weather flight
trials in Malta, during
which performance of the
aircraft, engine and systems
were monitored during
typical operational sorties.
Some of these sorties
were flown with maximum
external stores. Such
was the confidence in
the new aircraft that
by ate 1976, the centreline
30mm Aden gun pod, Matra
155 unguided rocket pod.
and CBLS (Carrier Bomb
Light Store) unit had
all been cleared for use
on the Hawk, In October
1976, a Release to Service
was granted for the Hawk
T1. allowing Hawker Siddeley
to begin deliveries to
the RAF.
|
 |
Flown
from RAF Leeming,
this Hawk T1A carries
the distinctive markings
of No. 100 Squadron.
BAE Systems. |
|
The RAF took delivery
of its first Hawk T1s
on 4 November 1976, at
RAF Valley. These aircraft,
and several others that
arrived soon afterwards,
were initially used by
the Central Flying School
detachment at the station,
to train Instructors of
No 4 Flying Training School,
also based there. It was
not until early 1977 that
the first student pilots
began to train on the
Hawk, undergoing a 22-week
Advanced Flying Training
course. This involved
75 hours of dual and solo
flying, supplemented by
over 20 hours of Hawk
simulator experience.
These students graduated
from No 4 FTS on 11 November
1977, moving to RAF Brawdy,
home of No 1 Tactical
Weapons Unit (TWU), to
become the first Hawk-trained
TWU graduates.
RAF Brawdy had begun
to receive its first Hawk
aircraft in January 1978,
and by the middle of that
year was operating 26
Hawk T1s. The TWU course
covered a 16-week period,
during which the students
flew 18 hours of dual
instruction, and 36 hours
solo. At Brawdy, the Hawk
T1 s, resplendent in a
grey/green camouflage
scheme, initially operated
in the guise of No 234
(Reserve) Squadron, but
from October 1981 onwards,
tactical weapons training
at the base was divided
equally between No 234
(Reserve) Squadron and
the newly Hawk-equipped
No 79 (Reserve) Squadron.
Hawk operations continued
at RAF Brawdy until August
1992, before transferring
to RAF Valley.
A second Hawk-equipped
Tactical Weapons Unit,
No 2 TWU, formed at RAF
Chivenor on 1 April 1981,
being redesignated No
7 FTS on 1 April 1992.
The unit was made up of
two squadrons. No 63 (Reserve)
Squadron and No 151 (Reserve)
Squadron, but, in September
1992, these squadrons
assumed the mantle of
Nos 19 and 92 Squadrons.
The existence of No 2
TWU/7 FTS ended in the
early 1990s following
a UK Government Defence
Review in 1993, when it
was announced in December
that year that RAF Chivenor
would cease operations
in October 1994, and its
Hawk assets would then
transfer to RAF Valley.
In fact, operations at
Chivenor continued until
the spring of 1995, as
weapons training detachments
from RAF Valley frequented
the base until that time.
Possibly the most significant
allocation of Hawk T1
aircraft within the RAF
occurred in August 1979,
when the Red Arrows began
to receive the first of
its initial allocation
of nine Hawk aircraft.
Based at RAF Kemble, the
team had been flying Gnat
jet trainers, and the
arrival of the Hawk brought
a number of benefits,
most notable amongst these
being greater operational
flexibility, range and
endurance, and enhanced
aircraft reliability.
|
In
1999, the solo Hawk
display aircraft was
painted in special
markings to celebrate
the 25th anniversary
of the type's first
flight from Dunsfold
in 1974.
Neil Dunnidge. |
 |
|
The Red Arrows Hawks
were converted for display
use by British Aerospace
at its Bitteswell factory,
and, in addition to the
distinctive red and white
paint scheme, featured
a number of operational
refinements. The most
visible of these was the
70 gallon ventral fuselage
tank, which contains diesel
fuel and red and blue
dyes for smoke generation.
The only other significant
difference between the
team's aircraft and the
standard Hawk T1 is the
engine. The Red Arrows'
aircraft are equipped
with the Adour Mk 151X
engine, which features
a fuel accelerator system
for improved throttle
response - essential for
formation flying. The
first public display by
the team with its new
Hawks was in 1980, and
this year the Reds will
be celebrating their 40th
anniversary as a team.
Throughout its operational
career with the RAF, British
Aerospace (latterly BAE
Systems), has supported
the Hawk fleet with a
number of life extension
programmes. Between 1983
and 1986, 88 Hawk T1s
were upgraded to enable
them to launch the AIM-9
Sidewinder missile, and
to operate in the secondary
Air Defence role. These
aircraft were subsequently
redesignated as Hawk T1As
and were repainted, with
the exception of the Red
Arrows aircraft, in a
light air defence grey
paint scheme. Since that
time, over 40 Hawk T1/1AS
have been rewinged, and
more recently, 80 were
the subject of a Fuselage
Replacement Programme
(FRP) that involved the
replacement of the aft-centre
and rear fuselage sections
with new sections built
to the higher Hawk 60
Series export standard.
Virtually all of the aircraft
involved in these modification
programmes were ex-TWU
aircraft, which had been
extensively operated in
the punishing high-speed,
low-level, operational
environment, and were
consequently running low
on fatigue life.
Today, the RAF's Hawk
T1/1A fleet, now in an
overall gloss black paint
scheme, is concentrated
at RAF Valley with Nos
19 and 208 Squadrons,
and at RAF Leeming with
No 100 Squadron, continuing
to provide sterling service
in the Advanced Flying
and Tactical Weapons Training
roles. But for how much
longer? There are those
who believe that the Hawk
T1/1A, with its analogue
'clocks and dials' cockpit
environment, is irrelevant
to the future training
needs of the RAF, given
that the cockpits of both
current (and future) front
line combat aircraft are
dominated by state-of-the-art
'digital' displays.
However, the Hawk T1/1A
still has an important
role to play in introducing
student pilots to the
highspeed, high workload
environment of the front
line combat pilot. To
the student pilot, the
turboprop-powered Shorts
Tucano may appear to be
fast, covering the ground
at over 250kts, but at
low level, the Hawk T1/1A
can comfortably achieve
speeds of up to 500kts,
so things happen much
more quickly. In the circuit
too, the Hawk is much
faster, with the initial
downwind leg being flown
at around 190kts, base
leg at around 150kts,
and final approach at
around 130kts - decaying
to around 110kts on touchdown.
Precise engine management
is critical in this phase
of flight, and because
the Adour takes a full
eight seconds to accelerate
from flight idle to full
power, the approach is
always flown with a minimum
power setting of 70 per
cent.
So how will the existing
Hawk T1 /1A fleet fit
into the RAF's future
flying training syllabus?
At present, it seems likely
that selected aircraft
from the T1/1A fleet will
operate in parallel with
the recently-announced
Hawk 128 Advanced Jet
Trainer (AJT) fleet. No
19 Squadron at RAF Valley
is earmarked to become
the first operator of
the new Hawk 128 when
the type enters service
in April 2008.
So what will the Hawk
128 offer? The new aircraft
will introduce student
pilots to the digital
cockpit environment that
they will experience in
front line operational
service. Externally, the
aircraft will be similar
to many other Hawk 100
Series export variants,
but in addition will be
equipped with the latest
Rolls-Royce/Turbomeca
Adour Mk 951 turbofan
engine, rated at 6,500lb
St. and incorporating
a Full Authority Digital
Engine Control (FADEC)
system. This new engine
provides 25% more thrust
than the Adour Mk 151
in the current Hawk T1/1A
fleet, so student pilots
should notice a significant
difference in overall
performance. They can
be safe in the knowledge
that the engine's FADEC
system will prevent them
from mishandling the engine,
and will ensure optimum
performance in all phases
of flight.
|
 |
The
front cockpit of the
BAE Systems Hawk 128
will be dominated
by a wide-angle Head-up
Display (HUD) and
three prominent Active
Matrix Liquid Crystal
Displays (AMLCDs).
BAE Systems
|
|
The most significant
differences between the
Hawk T1/1A and the Hawk
128 will be found in the
cockpit and 'under the
bonnet'. The Hawk 128
cockpit will be equipped
with three Active Matrix
Liquid Crystal Displays
(AMLCDs), each controlled
by 'soft keys', and each
able to display a comprehensive
range of navigation, sensor,
weapons and systems data.
The front cockpit will
also be dominated by a
wide-angle Head-Up Display
(HUD) which will feature
symbology that is fully
compatible with front
line combat aircraft types.
Data from this unit will
normally be repeated on
the central AMLCD in the
rear cockpit. Ail cockpit
instrumentation will be
fully compatible with
the use of Night Vision
Goggles (NVGs) for enhanced
situational awareness,
particularly during night
operations.
To ease pilot workload
during critical phases
of flight, and potentially
in combat situations,
the cockpit of the Hawk
128 will feature Hands-On-Throttle-And-Stick
(HOTAS) controls, and
here again the moding
and switching functions
of this system will be
fully representative of
front line combat aircraft.
In addition, the Hawk
128 will feature Open
Architecture Mission Computers
(OAMC) for future growth
potential, an enhanced
Stores Management System
(SMS), Inertial Navigation/Global
Positioning System (IN/GPS)
for greatly enhanced navigation
and weapon aiming accuracy,
and a Health and Usage
Monitoring System (HUMS)
for improved monitoring
of aircraft fatigue life.
From a systems perspective
too, the Hawk 128 will
offer significant advantages
over the existing T1/1A.
The new aircraft will
incorporate an upgraded
Electrical System, an
Auxiliary Power Unit (APU)
for greater operational
autonomy and to assist
with engine start (and
engine relight in flight,
should that become necessary),
an On-Board Oxygen Generation
System (OBOGS) - that
replaces the limited duration,
bottled oxygen supply
of the T1/1A-and provision
for air-to-air refuelling.
This latter capability
was successfully demonstrated,
for the first time, on
a Hawk 100 series aircraft
in December 2002, utilising
a Hawk 127 LIF and Boeing
707 tanker of the Royal
Australian Air Force (RAAF).
On the subject of fuel,
the Hawk 128 will be able
to carry two external
130 Imp gal fuel tanks
for long range and endurance,
but consideration is also
being given to a 100 Imp
gal centreline conformal
fuel tank, similar to
the one that was developed
for the Canadian Hawk
115/CT-155 aircraft. The
Hawk 128 will be cleared
to carry a comprehensive
range of weaponry but
future enhancements to
the aircraft may, in some
cases, dispense with the
need to carry weaponry
altogether, as synthetic
sensor and weapons capability
- including radar and
EW simulation, and DataLink
- is introduced. Other
enhancements may include
a Digital Moving Map (DMM),
Ground Proximity Warning
System (GPWS), Traffic
Alert and Collision Avoidance
System (TCAS), and an
Autopilot for compliance
with Reduced Vertical
Separation Minima (RVSM)
in controlled airspace.
|
BAE
Systems' new generation
Hawk 100 series demonstrator.
BAE Systems |
 |
|
Production of the first
two Hawk 128 aircraft
(RT001 and RT002) is already
underway at BAE Systems'
Brough facility, and both
aircraft are set to fly
in mid-to-late 2005. These
aircraft will then be
flown as just one component
in the overall flight
test and development programme.
With the Hawk 128, the
RAF will acquire another
thoroughbred trainer,
with an impeccable pedigree.
Having 30 years of global
experience under its wings,
and an increasingly potent
operational capability,
the Hawk seems set to
remain as the RAF's principal
advanced flying training
asset for many years to
come.
|
|