Phipp, Mike BAE Hawk

Fifty Years of Service

The BAE Hawk jet trainer was first delivered to the RAF in November 1976fifty years ago. Since then, the aircraft has seen extensive service with the RAF (and the Royal Navy) and remains in use with the "Red Arrows" aerobatic display team and for advanced flight training. The Hawk proved to be a major export success for the British aerospace industry, sold worldwidefrom Finland to Australia and from Canada to the Middle and Far East. A significant achievement was the sale of the design to the US Navy. The final Hawk units to be produced were delivered to Qatar in 2022. This testifies to the aircraft's outstanding original design, created in the 1970s by a team at Hawker Siddeley. One of their goals was to produce an aircraft that could be assembled by the aerospace industry of the purchasing nation. Over the years, the Hawk was adapted to meet customer needs, leading to the development of numerous variants. In addition to the original two-seat trainer, a single-seat version for ground-attack missions was also manufactured. This book examines the design, evolution, and global service of the Hawk, featuring a selection of previously unpublished images and highly informative text.