The Hindu Business Line : Hawk trainer moves up another notch

Bangalore, July 13 The IAF’s Rs 6,600-crore Hawk trainer acquisition programme has reached another milestone with the first six advanced jet trainers achieving IAF’s ‘interim acceptance’, BAE Systems, the maker of the AJTs, has said.

The IAF version of the Hawk will also be on static display at the UK’s Royal International Air Tattoo, the largest military air show, opening on July 14. IAF is also making its debut at RIAT.

Major Step

Mr Dave Corfield, Hawk Project Director-India, said, “Interim acceptance represents the IAF agreeing that the aircraft produced meets the standard required to allow instructor pilot and maintenance training to commence, so it is a major step forward on the programme.”

Three Hawks are currently being used to train IAF instructor pilots at Warton.

Later this month, this will be extended to test pilots from Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. The other three are being used to train IAF technicians who will support and maintain the aircraft when it enters service.

BAE Systems

BAE Systems will build the first 24 aircraft at its facilities in Brough, East Yorkshire.

It is slated to deliver the first aircraft to the IAF in September this year. HAL will be licence-producing 42 of the 66 Hawks in Bangalore under the training package.

Fifty IAF pilots have already been trained using the Hawk Synthetic Training Facility and RAF Hawks.