United Kingdom , armed with a pair of
AIM-9L Sidewinder missiles and a 30mm
gun pod The Hawk entered RAF service in April 1976, replacing the
Folland Gnat and
Hawker Hunter for advanced training and weapons training. The
Hawk T1 was the original version used by the
RAF, deliveries commencing in November 1976. The most famous users of the Hawk are the
Red Arrows aerobatic team, who adopted the plane in 1979. From 1983 to 1986, some Hawks were equipped as short-range
interceptor aircraft. 88 T1s were modified to carry two
AIM-9L Sidewinder air-to-air missiles in addition to a 30 mm ADEN cannon
gun pod; these aircraft were redesignated as
Hawk T1A. The Hawk subsequently replaced the
English Electric Canberra for
target towing duties. The
Royal Navy acquired a dozen Hawk T1/1As from the RAF; these are typically operated in a support role, often to conduct simulated combat training on board ships. During the 1990s and 2000s, 80 Hawk T1/1A aircraft were upgraded under the Fuselage Replacement Programme (FRP) to extend their operational lifespan; sections of the centre and rear fuselage sections were entirely replaced. In 2009, the RAF began receiving the first Hawk T2, in the long term, T2 aircraft will replace the ageing T1s. Training operations on the Hawk T2 began in April 2012. In August 2011, a
Red Arrows pilot was killed when his Hawk T1 crashed following a display at the Bournemouth Air Festival; the inquest found "G-force impairment" may have caused the pilot to lose control. The Hawk T1 fleet was grounded as a precautionary measure and returned to flight status a few days later. " Hawk T1 In November 2011, the Red Arrows suffered another pilot fatality when the
Martin-Baker Mk.10 ejection seat fitted to the Hawk T1 activated while the aircraft was stationary; the veteran combat pilot died on ground impact when the ejector seat parachute also failed to deploy. This resulted in the UK Ministry of Defence implementing a ban on non-essential flying in aircraft fitted with ejector seats similar to those fitted in the Hawk T1 after the death. However, in July 2021, it was announced that all UK military units operating the Hawk T1 aircraft, apart from the Red Arrows, would see their airframes retired by 31 March 2022.
Canada In Canada, the Hawk – designated as the CT-155 Hawk – was used to train pilots for front-line fighter aircraft. The aircraft was operated under the
NATO Flying Training in Canada (NFTC) program, which was provided by the Military Aviation Training division of
Bombardier Aerospace but transferred to
CAE by acquisition in 2015. NFTC operated 17 CT-155s from
CFB Moose Jaw.
Finland In January 1978, Britain and Finland announced a deal in which the
Finnish Air Force was to receive 50 Hawk Mk. 51s in 1980; these aircraft were built in Finland under licence by
Valmet. The
Finnish Air Force was limited to 60 first-line fighter aircraft by the
Paris Peace Treaty of 1947; by acquiring Hawks, which counted as trainers rather than fighters, capacity could be increased while continuing treaty compliance. These conditions were nullified during the 1990s by the break-up of the Soviet Union. Seven additional Mk. 51As were delivered in 1993–94 to make up for losses. In June 2007, Finland arranged to purchase 18 used Hawk Mk. 66s from the
Swiss Air Force for 41 million euros; they were delivered in 2009–2010. Finnish Hawks have reportedly been armed with Soviet
Molniya R-60/AA-8 as well as with AIM-9J and AIM-9M air-to-air missiles,
Matra Type 155
SNEB rocket pods, unspecified British
general-purpose bombs of multiple types,
VKT 12.7 mm machine gun pods and
Royal Small Arms Factory 30 mm
ADEN autocannon pods. The Finnish Air Force aerobatics team, the
Midnight Hawks, also uses the aircraft. Due to rising levels of metal fatigue, a major structural reinforcement program was carried out to extend the operational life of Finland's Hawks during the 1990s. In 2011, Finnish Mk. 51s and Mk. 66s underwent a series of upgrades performed by
Patria, these included the adoption of a new
Cockpit 4000 glass cockpit, new software, and other life-extending modifications. This upgrade program was completed in 2013.
India On 23 February 2008, the Hawk Mk. 132 formally entered service with the
Indian Air Force (IAF), after one of the most protracted procurements in India's history, two decades having elapsed between the initial interest and the contract signing on 26 March 2004. The IAF received 24 aircraft directly from
BAE Systems with deliveries beginning in November 2007, and further 42 Hawks assembled by
Hindustan Aeronautics Limited between 2008 and 2011. In February 2008, India planned to order 57 more Hawks, with 40 going to the Indian Air Force and the remaining 17 to the
Indian Navy. In July 2010, it was announced that the IAF and the Navy would receive the additional 57 aircraft. The additional aircraft will be all built in India by Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL), continuing to work under licence from BAE. On 10 February 2011, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited and GE Aviation signed a contract under which GE Aviation will conduct the next 30 years of maintenance on the Hawk fleet. In 2011, the IAF was reportedly unhappy with the provision of spare components; In December 2011, BAE received a contract to provide India with spares and ground support. The first IAF Hawk AJT crashed on 29 April 2008 at 406 Air Force Station Bidar, Karnataka. On 3 June 2015, another Hawk AJT aircraft crashed near Baharagora, close to the West Bengal – Odisha border. The Hawk fleet is based at IAF's
Bidar Air Force Station in north Karnataka, about 700 km from Bangalore. As of 2015, a total of 123 aircraft were on order by the Indian Air Force and 17 by the Indian Navy, with an additional order of 20 aircraft were under negotiation. The
Indonesian Air Force received more than 40 Hawks in the 1980s and 1990s; Further Hawk exports were eventually blocked due to concerns over Indonesian human rights, particularly in
East Timor. During the 1990s protests erupted across England over arming Indonesia and pressure increased after the mass-murder of the
Balibo Five journalists and Roger East came to light and allegations of the use of Hawks during the
Indonesian occupation of East Timor. The Hawks have been the backbone of Indonesian Air Force, supplementing more advanced and expensive aircraft such as the F-16 Fighting Falcon. In September 2013, the Indonesian Air Force began receiving the
KAI T-50 Golden Eagle, which has been reported as having been set to eventually replace the Hawk in service. In February 2016, it was announced that Indonesia's Hawk fleet was set to receive a new
radar warning receiver self-defense system, aiding the type's use in light attack operations. A BAE Hawk in use with the Indonesian Air Force crashed on 15 June 2020.
Malaysia The
Royal Malaysian Air Force has 18 Hawk aircraft, consisting of 4 Hawk 108 export versions as training aircraft and 14 Hawk 208 as combat aircraft. On 5 March 2013, during the
2013 Lahad Datu standoff, five Hawk 208 together with three American-made
Boeing F/A-18D Hornets were employed in airstrikes on hideouts of the terrorist group Royal Security Forces of the Sultanate of Sulu and North Borneo in Lahad Datu, Sabah ahead of the ground assault by joint forces of the Malaysian Army and Royal Malaysian Police.
Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia acquired the Hawk under the
Al-Yamamah arms deal with Britain, with a total of 50 Hawk Mk. 65/65As ordered in contracts placed in 1985 and 1994 respectively. In August 2012, a deal for 22 Hawk 'Advanced Jet Trainers' worth approximately $800 million was announced. The AJTs would replace older models of Hawks in the
Royal Saudi Air Force (RSAF) inventory. 22 of these Hawks are to be assembled locally in Saudi Arabia, the first of which was completed in March 2019.
Zimbabwe In the 1980s, 12 BAE Hawk T.Mk. 60/60As were purchased for the
Air Force of Zimbabwe (AFZ); the purchase was supported by a £35 million loan from the UK to Zimbabwe. The Hawk deal also included the transfer of a number of used
Hawker Hunters. In July 1982, at least one Hawk was destroyed on the ground and three more heavily damaged during a dissident attack on Thornhill air base,
Gweru. Zimbabwe's Hawks were used during the
Second Congo War. Numerous airstrikes were conducted in support of the
Congolese Army against Rwandan,
Ugandan and rebel forces in 1998–2000. Alongside other aircraft, AFZ Hawks played a significant role in the
defence of Kinshasa during the early days of the war. In 2000, the controversy over Zimbabwe's military intervention in the Congo and poor human rights record led to Britain imposing a total arms embargo on the nation, including spare parts for the Hawk. Due to the embargo, Zimbabwe has purchased six Chinese
Hongdu K-8s as a substitute. An unknown number of Zimbabwe's Hawks were restored to service in 2022; Zimbabwean military officials declined to comment on the details of their refurbishment.
Others During the 1980s, a prospective sale of 63 Hawk trainers to
Iraq was considered by the British government. While the proposal had its proponents, it was controversial as in a ground-attack capacity Iraq might have employed the Hawk against neighbouring
Iran and to oppress Iraq's own
Kurdish population; there was also concern that the Hawk could be potentially armed with
chemical weapons. After considerable deliberation the sale was blocked by then Foreign Secretary
John Major. In 2010, Iraq entered talks with BAE for an order of up to 21 Hawks. In 1993, talks between BAe and
South Africa's
Denel Aviation began regarding a replacement for the
South African Air Force (SAAF)'s ageing
Atlas Impala fleet. By 2004, Denel had begun construction of Hawks under licence from BAe; components for other customers have also been produced by Denel. On 13 January 2005, the first locally assembled Hawk conducted its first flight; it belonged to a batch of 24 trainers ordered by the SAAF. ==Variants==