By IANS
London : Britain’s BAE Systems has begun final assembly of the next generation Hawk Advanced Jet Trainer (AJT), 28 of which will be built for the Royal Air Force (RAF) and the Royal Navy (RN).
The new aircraft builds on the Hawk Mk-132, of which the Indian Air Force (IAF) has purchased 66.
The first of the new aircraft has been designated RT003 and is being manufactured by the BAE Systems facility at Brough, a company release Monday said.
Two new generation Hawk AJTs already produced by BAE Systems under the design and development contract signed with the British defence ministry in 2004 are now in the final phase of their flight development programme at BAE Systems Warton.
The new Hawk AJT is equipped with some of the latest avionic systems ensuring that the aircraft is the ideal platform for training the next generation of fast jet pilots, the release said.
These systems include a Ground Proximity Warning System, a Digital Moving Map and a Traffic Collision Avoidance System (TCAS). The Hawk AJT is the only advanced jet trainer in the world equipped with the TCAS.
“RAF and RN pilots will move seamlessly from the Hawk to the (Eurofighter) Typhoon. Globally, the Hawk is used to train pilots for frontline aircraft such as the F-16, the Gripen and the Su-30,” the release said.
According to Simon Bee, final assembly leader at BAE Systems Brough, “RT003 commencing the final assembly stage is a significant milestone for the UK AJT programme.
“During this final stage the wing will be fitted to the fuselage, the engine will be installed and the aircraft will undergo a series of ground tests before it flies for the first time from Brough,” he added.
The new aircraft will transfer to Warton during the second quarter of 2008, where it will complete a production flight acceptance test programme, painting and customer acceptance before being delivered to the defence ministry later in the year.
In 2003, the ministry selected the new Hawk AJT to meet its advanced jet trainer requirement and the production contract for the 28 aircraft, including production of the two development aircraft, was signed in October 2006.