Aircraft & UAVs

BAE Hawk

Also known as
  • Hawker Siddeley Hawk
  • British Aerospace Hawk
  • Hawk AJT
  • Hawk T2
  • Hawk 127
  • Hawk T1
  • Hawk T1A
  • Hawk Mk128
  • Hawk Mk132
  • Hawk 200
  • T-45 Goshawk
  • Hawker Siddeley HS.1182

The BAE Hawk is a British single-engine advanced jet trainer family whose export variants also served as light-attack aircraft. BAE describes Hawk as its most successful military trainer, while conflict records document Indonesian, Zimbabwean, and Malaysian Hawks in strike or fire-support roles.

BAE Hawk, Advanced jet trainer and light attack aircraft family, Aircraft & UAVs
Image source: BAE Hawk 208 edited 2.jpg

Role in Conflicts

Profile / Specs

Specifications

Crew
2
Length
11.95 m
Wingspan
9.39 m
Max speed
1,065 km/h
Range
1,207 km
Ceiling
50,000 ft
Engine
Single Rolls-Royce Turbomeca Adour Mk 951 turbofan
Weapons
Practice AIM-9M missiles, conventional and laser-guided bombs, and a 30 mm cannon
Variants

Hawk designations mix RAF T-mark names, export Mk numbers, and customer-specific derivatives; the family spans the original T1 trainer, glass-cockpit lead-in fighter trainers, Indian Mk132 aircraft, and the U.S. Navy T-45 Goshawk derivative.

VariantConfigurationDesignation notes
Hawk T1Original RAF advanced trainer

BAE says prototype XX154 first flew from Dunsfold on 21 August 1974, and RAF history places the Hawk in RAF training service from 1976.

Sources: Hawk Advanced Jet Trainer - BAE Systems, Hawk T2 - Royal Air Force

Hawk T1ARAF air-defense and weapons-training conversion

RAF background describes late-1970s Hawk modifications for AIM-9L air-defense training, while the T1 remained the Red Arrows aircraft.

Sources: Hawk T2 - Royal Air Force

Hawk 127Australian lead-in fighter trainer

RAAF documentation describes the Hawk 127 as Australia's lead-in fighter aircraft, fitted with mission computers, HUD, datalink, radar and weapons simulation, and mission recording.

Sources: Hawk 127 - Royal Australian Air Force, A27 – BAE Systems Hawk – pp518-521

Hawk T2 / Mk128RAF Advanced Jet Trainer

RAF identifies the Hawk T2 as the Hawk 128, with a glass cockpit, synthetic radar, datalink, and sensor simulation for advanced fast-jet training.

Sources: Hawk T2 - Royal Air Force

Hawk Mk132Indian Hawk AJT

BAE's India-focused Hawk material describes Mk132 orders that included fly-away aircraft and HAL licence-built production.

Sources: Potential Hawk order to expand India footprint - BAE Systems

T-45 GoshawkU.S. Navy carrier-capable derivative

NAVAIR describes the T-45A as the Navy version of the British Aerospace Hawk and identifies T-45A and T-45C derivatives in operational use.

Sources: T-45 Goshawk - NAVAIR

Gunpod Fit

Hawk 127 documentation lists a 30 mm Aden cannon, and ADM says the cannon can be installed in a centreline gunpod.

Carried itemItem typeCarriage evidence
30 mm ADEN cannon, 30 mm aircraft cannon, Aircraft & UAVs30 mm ADEN cannon30 mm aircraft cannon

The Hawk 127 armament table lists one 30 mm Aden cannon, and ADM says the cannon can be installed in a gunpod on the centreline station.

Sources: A27 – BAE Systems Hawk – pp518-521, Maintenance upgrade ahead for Hawk 127 Lead in Fighter - ADM September 2013

Air-to-Air Stores
Carried itemItem typeCarriage evidence
AIM-9 Sidewinder missile, Short-range air-to-air missile family, MunitionsAIM-9 Sidewinder missileCaptive training missile

The Hawk 127 armament table lists captive training AIM-9M Sidewinder missiles.

Sources: A27 – BAE Systems Hawk – pp518-521

Bomb Stores
Carried itemItem typeCarriage evidence
Mk 82 500-pound unguided bomb, Air-delivered 500-pound low-drag general-purpose bomb, MunitionsMk 82 500-pound unguided bombConventional bomb

The Hawk 127 armament table lists Mk.82 227kg (500lb) conventional bombs.

Sources: A27 – BAE Systems Hawk – pp518-521

Mk 82 fitted with a Paveway- or Lizard-series guidance kit, 500-pound guided-bomb configuration, MunitionsMk 82 fitted with a Paveway- or Lizard-series guidance kitLaser-guided bomb

The Hawk 127 armament table lists GBU-12 laser guided bombs, which are Mk 82-class guided bomb configurations.

Sources: A27 – BAE Systems Hawk – pp518-521

Timeline

BAE Hawk Key Events

  1. Prototype first flight

    Hawk prototype XX154 made its first flight from Dunsfold, starting the family that would become a long-running export trainer.

    Sources: Hawk Advanced Jet Trainer - BAE Systems

  2. RAF service begins

    The Hawk entered Royal Air Force service in late 1976 and became the type associated with the Red Arrows and later advanced-training variants.

    Sources: Hawk Advanced Jet Trainer - BAE Systems

  3. Hawk flights reported over Dili

    Guardian reporting during the East Timor crisis said British-made Hawk jets had been seen over Dili and cited earlier observations of Hawk bombing runs during the occupation.

    Sources: Keeping Indonesia at arm's length

  4. Aceh deployment reported

    The Guardian reported that British Hawk jets had been deployed by the Indonesian air force in Aceh and that Hawks had also been flown by Zimbabwe in the Congo war.

    Sources: FO inquiry into use of Hawk jets by Jakarta

  5. Hawk aircraft strike Lahad Datu

    Bernama reported that Royal Malaysian Air Force Hawk fighters joined the aerial attack on Kampung Tanduo during Operation Daulat.

    Sources: F/A-18 and Hawk fighters bomb Kg Tanduo - Malaysiakini

  6. BAE says the fleet remains global and active

    BAE described Hawk as its most successful military trainer, with a 650-aircraft global fleet in 16 countries and service continuing into the 2050s.

    Sources: Hawk Advanced Jet Trainer - BAE Systems

Media

BAE Hawk Videos

BAE Hawk Images

BAE Hawk, Advanced jet trainer and light attack aircraft family, Aircraft & UAVs - view 1
Source: BAE Hawk T1 XX278.jpg
BAE Hawk, Advanced jet trainer and light attack aircraft family, Aircraft & UAVs - view 2
Source: Hawk T2 (42772591991).jpg
Related Weapon Systems
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Black Hawk helicopter, Medium-lift military utility helicopter family, Aircraft & UAVsAircraft & UAVsBlack Hawk helicopterMedium-lift military utility helicopter familyThe Black Hawk is Sikorsky's twin-engine medium-lift military utility helicopter family, developed from the U.S. Army's 1972 UTTAS requirement and fielded from 1978-79. The cataloged family covers utility, special-operations, armed, and HH-60G Pave Hawk rescue variants, with directly documented use from the 1993 Battle of Mogadishu to NATO combat search and rescue over Kosovo, U.S.-led operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, and Ukrainian Defence Intelligence Black Hawk missions during the Russia-Ukraine war.

Sources

Hawk Advanced Jet Trainer - BAE SystemsPublisher: BAE Systems | Note: Supports the Hawk family background, global fleet size, country count, service outlook, and trainer role. | Accessed: 2026-07-05Potential Hawk order to expand India footprint - BAE SystemsPublisher: BAE Systems | Note: Supports the Hawk family's worldwide order count and export footprint. | Accessed: 2026-07-05BAE Systems HawkPublisher: Wikipedia | Note: Supports the Hawk family development history, designer, variants, and derivative aircraft context. | Accessed: 2026-07-05Hawk 127 - Royal Australian Air ForcePublisher: Royal Australian Air Force | Note: Supports Hawk 127 specifications, crew, range, ceiling, speed, and weapon fit. | Accessed: 2026-07-05Hawk T2 - Royal Air ForcePublisher: Royal Air Force | Note: Supports RAF Hawk T1/T2 designation context, first flight and RAF training entry dates, AIM-9L modification context, and T2 avionics/training features. | Accessed: 2026-07-05T-45 Goshawk - NAVAIRPublisher: Naval Air Systems Command | Note: Supports T-45 as the U.S. Navy version of the British Aerospace Hawk and identifies T-45A/T-45C derivative context. | Accessed: 2026-07-05FO inquiry into use of Hawk jets by JakartaPublisher: The Guardian | Note: Supports 1976 Aceh Insurgency direct-use reporting for Indonesian Hawks and 1998 Second Congo War direct-use reporting that Zimbabwean Hawks were flown in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. | Accessed: 2026-07-05The Revival of the Air Force of ZimbabwePublisher: Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses | Note: Supports 1998 Second Congo War direct-use context for Zimbabwe Air Force Hawk detachments, ground-force support, and interdiction roles. | Accessed: 2026-07-05Keeping Indonesia at arm's lengthPublisher: The Guardian | Note: Supports 1975 Indonesian Occupation of East Timor direct-use context for Hawk bombing-run reporting and Hawk flights over Dili. | Accessed: 2026-07-05F/A-18 and Hawk fighters bomb Kg Tanduo - MalaysiakiniPublisher: Malaysiakini | Note: Supports the 2013 Lahad Datu Standoff direct conflict-use context for Hawk aircraft. | Accessed: 2026-07-05BAE Hawk 208 edited 2.jpgPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Image provenance and licensing page for the main Hawk image. | Accessed: 2026-07-05BAE Hawk T1 XX278.jpgPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Image provenance and licensing page for the Hawk T1 gallery image. | Accessed: 2026-07-05Hawk T2 (42772591991).jpgPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Image provenance and licensing page for the Hawk T2 gallery image. | Accessed: 2026-07-05A27 – BAE Systems Hawk – pp518-521Publisher: Royal Australian Air Force | Note: Supports Hawk 127 Australian variant context, training role, avionics, and the armament table that lists a 30 mm Aden cannon. | Accessed: 2026-07-05Maintenance upgrade ahead for Hawk 127 Lead in Fighter - ADM September 2013Publisher: Australian Defence Magazine | Note: Supports the Hawk 127 centreline gunpod fit for the 30 mm Aden cannon. | Accessed: 2026-07-05