The Hawk T2 aircraft will leave service in 2040.
The Hawk T2 trainer includes modern LCD displays instead of conventional instrumentation and is powered by the Rolls-Royce Adour 951 engine.
James Cartlidge The Minister of State, Ministry of Defence, stated:
“The planned out of service date for the Hawk T2 aircraft is 2040.”
“The aircraft’s glass cockpit and comprehensive avionics suite provide a realistic advanced fast jet training platform which, as part of the UK Military Flying Training System (UK MFTS), meets current and future standards. It allows trainees to be immersed in more complex tactical environments, ‘downloading’ training from the OCUs onto the Hawk, which is far more economical to fly than the Typhoon or F35.
The Mk 2’s avionics enable simulations of many of the functions of a modern fighter, combined with an extensive mission debrief system that extracts maximum output from every sortie. Via the aircraft’s data link, for example, synthetic radar returns are generated for intercept and basic fighter manoeuvres training, yet no radar is fitted. The on board simulation capability also enables air-to-ground ‘weapon drops’, realistic electronic warfare (EW) training against surface-to-air missile (SAM) systems and other complex operational scenarios.”
What’s replacing it?
Hopefully Aeralis, or we be buying forin…red arrows on forin jets….
AA
With any luck it will be up and running long before then. Unmanned versions too.
Unmanned versions would rather defeat the point of trainer aircraft and Display aircraft.
Aeralis was always going to be more than just a trainer or display aircraft. That was the point of the entire project. With role driven modularity and commonality of parts. Either a single or twin engine configuration. Primary and advanced trainer using different wing designs. Single/twin seater or unmanned drone or wingman. Photo recon or ground attack. With the versatility to be adapted to future roles as needed.
Google it, lots of info available.
Do you really think any of that will be produced?.
I do but not all for the British armed forces. One of the examples given covers a small nation training a batch of pilots. They purchase the basic 60% of components and lease those for twin seat basic trainers. As the cadre need to progress, the engine and wing modules are swapped out/leased for conversion to twin seat fast jets with pylons for weapons training. When that training is over, the small nation converts the Aeralis to single seat, twin engined fighter bomber roles with advanced avionics etc etc. Could we utilised drones that come off the same production line… Read more »
Aeralis is physically impossible.
I thought the F35 was impossible when it was first talked about. So what do I know?
Compared to that Aeralis sounds mundane. It’s only a common core fuselage with modular everything else. Not all things to all men, at least not yet. But it could be the next step in training. A good first step.
Yup…. but at least the Aircrew/maintenance engineers would still have a job….. until that too becomes Unmanned.
I thought Aeralis was just a concept and not really solely British but more a consortium of many different countries ?
Virtually anything nowadays is a consortium. Just look at car production
AA
Yes I Know…. So It’s not just British which means It’s “Forin” too.
Something Different !!!! 😎
Have they actually managed to get them into reliable service yet ?
Has anyone else noticed that Defence is really making headline news nowadays but UKDJ have not delivered one article on it…
Heappey has left, Grant left defenceless – the Russians would have done us a favour. Tugendhat saying nothing in the Budget for Defence; where is the reporting?
George Allison, your thoughts?
Russia doing us a favour? Surely if an aircraft is bought down by a foreign power with our SOD on it and can be proven that’s an article 5 event!
Getting rid of that oxygenbreather would be doing the world a favour; shame about the aircrew having to take one for the team.
It’s not as independent or journalistic as people think.
Heappey hasn’t left yet. He won’t be standing in the next elections but said he will continue to serve until then. Having attended cabinet during the brief Truss era, and remaining without promotion after Wallace left, and now being the longest serving minister in Defence, it’s unlikely he would have stayed there past the election anyway. Wallace seems to like him, Sunack less so.
Oh, Lord in Heaven, have we found an officer with conviction? All kneel for the Holy Grail and pray unto whatever skypixie you believe in.
Both your posts really show why some people should never be allowed near modern communication equipment!
You are 100% correct.
Some of my posts lure the retards and oxygen breathers to show themselves in public.
Cheers, easy.
Are we only allowing total cynicism then? Balanced judgment need not be attempted? If a minister is reasonably good, I don’t have a problem mentioning it. I said when Wallace left, I wanted Heappey for the job. I’ve praised Baroness Goldie in the comment section here too. Even though I’m no Tory, I don’t automatically hate everyone who is.
The positive we see more and more is that 3% is being mentioned by more people and more often. (Wow, I managed to say ‘more’ four times more).
Thought he announced he was leaving his ministerial post at the end of the month?
Semi retired already isn’t it since there’s no engines for them…
No, they’re still flying but their flight hours are reduced.
What is the problem with the Adour engine, anyone know? Can’t Rolls fix it or do we need to re-engine it?
If it is meant to continue is service for another 16 years, sounds like it needs some early and constructive action from the MOD. It seems to be taking an age to grasp the nettle here.
Think it was a vital component failure – from memory Compressor Blades.
Rolls Royce sub contracted some of the engine blade manufacturing to a French company. These blades have been failing. The engines therefore need increased checks and maintenance, which has reduced the amount f hours the engines can do.
Thanks Paul T and Davey.
Can the blades on an engine be replaced/re’engineered? Or would it be better to fit new engines, if Rolls still make them?
We can’t accept having all our fast jet advanced trainers SNAFU for 16 years until OSD, that would be a very expensive exercise sending our pilots off to Italy.
New blades can be manufactured – several UK companies can do this, especially for the compressor side – and replacing them within the life of an engine is common.
Thanks Nathan, that’s a glimmer of light
I wonder why RAF and DESO are making such heavy weather of this, with the long delay, crash overseas training arrangements, now some committee to examine it.
Is it horrendously expensive to replace the blades or something? It doesn’t sound like a mega engineering challenge, though no doubt there is more to it than one imagines.
It isn’t easy – you need specialist kit and experience but there are several companies that have that and make blades for new engines and refurbs. For example, Rolls Royce had problems with Trent 1000 compressor blades and got new ones made to a revised design to refit in existing engines. Not a quick fix but I also wonder what the big problem is.
I wonder just how many F35 and Typhoons we will actually have in 2040…. The RAF ordered 175 Hawk T1’s back in the day….. makes you think doesn’t it. ?
Yes – only 24 Hawk T2s were ordered in 2004.
It was 28 👍
Of the 28 as far as the radar spotting goes there are still 9 that never fly – I assume this is to do with the ongoing engine problem?
I’ve read there are currently only about eight sorties per day, Wyn.
Yes, that looks about right from my radar watching. I suppose there are still engine problems – but also the increase in simulator training, which these days is light years beyond what was possible only a few years ago. The Texans are busy every day. I will do some serious radar spotting to see what is actually happening! I wonder if the Hawks will make it to 2040?
Putting 40/50 jets out on the Valley flight lines each day was quite common back in the day
Chivenor used to be quite busy too.
Mk1s entered service in 1976. So basically about a 70yr old design by the time Harry the Hawk retires. A well deserved retirement.
To my surprise the old Red Arrows jet XX306 is on display at the A1 Northallerton/Leeming Bar motorway services
Before 2000 the UK was the go-to destination for countries to send the best of their trainee military pilots, particularly for advanced training. A typical course would include maybe a dozen nationalities – Saudi, Indian, Omani, German, Danish, UAE, Nigerian, Australian, Indonesian …) Since then the UK has so badly cut and run down and our training capabilities that now we have to send our pilots to Spain, Italy, France, Canada and the USA! The civilianisation and out sourcing decision in 1999 was a disaster, and the wishful thinking that this would allow most of the 174 Hawk T1/1A’s to… Read more »
Canada has just retired it’s 17 Hawks ( suddenly it seems?) and will outsource it’s fast jet training too. Do these have the same engine problems as the RAF? or are they different engines? If they are actually fly why not buy them for a stop gap? Or are they not glass cockpit?
Canada will send pilots to Italy. At least at M346 jet level. USA and Finland.
I see that the Qatari Hawk Mk167 seem to deliver sorties with no problem …6 airborne as I write… presumably a different engine…? Its a sad end to a great aeroplane.