BAE Hawk completes hot weather exercise

A pair of BAE Systems’ Hawk T2 aircraft from the Royal Air Force (RAF) Valley’s IV Squadron in Anglesey, Wales completed a series of planned exercises in temperatures reaching 44° Celsius (111° Fahrenheit) to showcase the aircraft’s ability to operate in conditions typically found in the Gulf region during the summer. The demonstration included low-level sorties and extended taxiing designed to exacerbate the temperature and prove the Hawks’ ability to operate.

The Hawk is a military fast jet trainer that, BAE says, is the training aircraft of choice in the Gulf area, where it is operated by the air forces of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Oman to prepare their Typhoon pilots. The United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Kuwait also use the aircraft as part of their training pipelines. It features advanced airborne simulation technology and a next generation cockpit design that trains students for any combat aircraft, including the F/A-18 Hornet and Super Hornet, F-16 and F-35, delivering a smooth transition to the frontline.

Peter Kosogorin, a Hawk and Typhoon test pilot from BAE Systems Flight Operations, says, “Not only were we able to show Hawk is capable of carrying out all the necessary exercises at high temperatures, the support team from the RAF consistently turned the aircraft around in under 40 minutes, demonstrating its flexibility and efficiency."