100 Sqn Hawk

The Hawk first entered service with the RAF in 1976, both as an advanced flying-training aircraft and a weapons-training aircraft. The Hawk T1 version is currently used by No 100 Squadron at RAF Leeming for Operational Support- flying and advanced fast-jet Weapons Systems Officer training.

The Hawk is an all-metal, low-wing, tandem seat aircraft. The fuselage comprises three main parts. The front fuselage accommodates two equipment bays and a pressurised cabin containing two tandem cockpits. The centre fuselage contains the engine, a fuselage fuel tank, a gas turbine starting system and a ram air turbine; the latter providing emergency hydraulic power should the two normal hydraulic systems fail. The rear fuselage houses the jet pipe bay and an airbrake hinged to its under surface. Each cockpit is equipped with a fully automatic Type 10B rocket-assisted ejection seat with zero speed/zero height capability.

The Hawk is powered by a Rolls- Royce Turbomeca Adour 151 turbofan engine which provides 5200lbs of thrust, giving the Hawk a Max Speed of 550kts. The airframe is stressed for +9g to -4.5g.

The Hawk T1 is equipped to an operational standard and is capable of undertaking a number of war roles. The T1A has two under-wing pylons cleared to carry BL755 cluster bombs or Sidewinder AIM-9L air-to-air missiles, and can carry a 30mm Aden cannon in a pod underneath the fuselage centre-line. Aiming facilities for the aircraft’s attack modes are provided by an integrated strike and interception system, while a Vinten video recording system is used to record the weapon sighting.

Several modifications have been made to 100 Squadron Hawks. These include a second UHF/VHF Talon Radio and ‘Hands on Throttle and Stick’ (HOTAS) capability. Global Positioning System displays increase the situational awareness of the crews. Rangeless Airborne Instrumented Debriefing System (RAIDS) pods allow large, complex missions to be accurately debriefed. Successor IFF gives the Hawk an encrypted IFF capability and allows it to meet all current/future airspace regulations. JFACTSU aircraft operate with IPAC. This system allows ground forces to digitally send the aircrew target co-ordinates and attack instructions for air-ground attacks.