Hawk jet trainer. (Photo : BAE/HAL)
BAE Systems, the UK's leading defense, security and aerospace company, will fly a specially-built technology demonstrator of the ground attack version of its Hawk jet trainer at the Aero India air show (the world's largest after the Paris Air Show) at Bengaluru from Feb. 14-18.
The combat version of the Hawk, the Advanced Hawk, is still being pushed by BAE Systems and its partner, Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL), despite growing indications the Indian Air Force (IAF) and Indian Navy (IN) remain lukewarm towards the idea of a combat-capable Hawk.
India has contracted BAE systems to supply 123 Hawk Mk-132 Hawk Advanced Jet Trainer aircraft for the IAF and 17 for the IN.
Hawk is a British-made, single-engine, jet-powered advanced trainer aircraft first flown in 1974.
What BAE Systems will show-off at Aero India will be a combat jet capable of carrying up to 3,000 kg of weapons consisting of air-to-air missiles; air-to-surface missiles; unguided air-to-surface rockets and 500 lb. bombs.
Counted among the air-to-air missiles being considered for Advanced Hawk is the AIM-132 Advanced Short Range Air-to-Air Missile (ASRAAM), a heat seeking missile used by the U.S. Air Force. Among the air-to-surface missile candidates is Brimstone, which was developed for the Royal Air Force.
Faced with the indifferent attitude of both the IAF and the IN, both BAE Systems and HAL seem to have gone ahead with developing the Advanced Hawk as an inexpensive aircraft targeted at countries on the Asian mainland.
Advanced Hawk has been in development for two years. HAL and BAE Systems have combined their resources to develop a faster, more agile version of the standard Hawk.
Among the innovations in Advanced Hawk are slatted wings that produce a significant increase in the plane's performance, including shorter take-offs and landings, and agility.
There are also new sensors and weapons, including a helmet-mounted display (HMD) for the pilot, a first for an aircraft derived from a trainer.
BAE claims Advanced Hawk will be in demand with several Asian air forces in the process of acquiring advanced fighter jets. It estimates there's a requirement for about 300 Advanced Hawks worldwide.
