In the current RAF training programme, the Hawk T1 is the first jet aircraft that a student pilot will fly. An advanced, and very successful trainer, Hawk is used to teach operational tactics, air-to-air and air-to-ground firing, air combat and low-level operating procedures. A number of aircraft are also flown as target-tugs by No 100 Squadron at Leeming, as well as by many test establishments and the Royal Navy.

Originally developed as a private venture by Hawker Siddeley, the company was awarded a production contract in October 1970 to supply 175 of their new two-seat trainer aircraft to replace the Gnat in RAF service. The aircraft was christened Hawk in and the first production aircraft (no prototypes were built) made its maiden flight on 21 August 1971. First deliveries were made to No 4 FTS at Valley in April 1976. Aircraft were delivered with the ability to carry weapons and so some of the Valley- and Brawdy-based Hunters used for weapons training were retired and a new single-aircraft syllabus developed to take advantage of the Hawk's capabilities. By the end of 1976 all 175 aircraft had been delivered, other receiving units being Nos 1 and 2 Tactical Weapons Units at Brawdy and Lossiemouth, the Central Flying School at Scampton and Valley and later the Red Arrows, the RAF's Aerobatic Team. In 1983, a contract was signed for the modification of 88 Hawks to enable them to carry Sidewinder air-to-air missiles and be used as 'point-defence' fighters at airfields around the country, a role that the aircraft no longer carries out. With the reduction in RAF training requrements, the Hawk fleet is now concentrated at Valley, and many of these aircraft will be modified in the coming years to extend their service life well into the new millennium.

    One of the most successful British aircraft in recent history, a number of foreign air arms fly the Hawk (and its single-seat derivitives) including: Abu Dhabi, Finland, Kenya, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Switzerland and the United States Navy.

Powerplant: One Rolls-Royce/Turbomeca Adour Mk 151 turbofan of 5,200lb st.
Span: 30ft 9.75in (9.39m)
Length: 39ft 2in (11.96m)
Max Speed: 622mph (1,000km/h) at sea level.
Accommodation: Two seats, in tandem.
Armament: Hawk T1 - One 30mm Aden cannon pack and up to 5,600lb (2,540kg) of underwing stores (rockets, bombs and missiles); T1A - in addition has inboard pylons for Sidewinder AIM-9 air-to-air missiles.
Recognition: Slightly-swept wings set at the bottom of the fuselage. Top line of the fuselage curves up from the pointed nose to incorporate the long clear cockpit canopy then slopes down to the jetpipe, giving a humped appearance. Engine is internally housed with small circular intakes on the lower sides of the fuselage, forward and above the wing roots. Slightly-swept vertical and horizontal tail surfaces.