BAE Hawk

Service And Conflict Use

1. Aug 21, 1974

   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. Jan 1, 1976

   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. Jul 3, 2002

   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

4. Mar 5, 2013

   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

5. Feb 13, 2025

   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

BAE Hawk Images

Related Weapon Systems

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Aircraft & UAVsM-346Advanced jet trainer / lead-in fighter trainerThe Leonardo M-346 is an Italian twin-engine advanced jet trainer and lead-in fighter trainer. Its M-346FA derivative adds radar, seven external hardpoints, and a light-combat mission set for close air support, air interdiction, and tactical reconnaissance.

Aircraft & UAVsTurkish Aerospace HürjetSupersonic advanced jet trainer and light-attack aircraftTurkish Aerospace Hürjet is Turkey's single-engine, tandem-seat advanced jet trainer and light-attack aircraft. Designed by Turkish Aerospace engineers, it uses a GE F404-104 engine, reached first flight in April 2023, and is being developed to prepare pilots for 5th-generation fighters.

Aircraft & UAVsAermacchi MB-339Advanced jet trainer and light attack aircraftThe Aermacchi MB-339 is an Italian advanced jet trainer and light attack aircraft developed by Aermacchi as a successor to the MB-326. Built entirely in Italy, it also served as the MB.339 PAN display aircraft for the Frecce Tricolori and saw combat use with Argentine Naval Aviation in the Falklands War and the Eritrean Air Force during the Eritrean-Ethiopian War.

Aircraft & UAVsAero L-39NGTwo-seat subsonic jet trainer and light-attack aircraftThe Aero L-39NG is a Czech two-seat subsonic jet trainer and light-attack aircraft developed by Aero Vodochody as the modernized successor to the L-39 Albatros family. Aero now markets the type as L-39 Skyfox, and the program pairs a Williams FJ44-4M turbofan with modern avionics, a 15,000-flight-hour service life, and training, reconnaissance, and light-combat roles.

Aircraft & UAVsAIDC AT-3/T-5 Brave EagleAdvanced jet trainer and light attack aircraft familyThe AIDC AT-3/T-5 family covers Taiwan's indigenous two-seat jet trainer line, starting with the AT-3 Tzu Chung, which first flew in 1980 and entered service in 1985, and continuing with the T-5 Brave Eagle, a next-generation advanced jet trainer delivered to the ROCAF from 2021. AIDC and ROCAF sources describe the family as a pilot-training platform that also supported Thunder Tigers aerobatics, with the T-5 replacing the older AT-3 and F-5 trainer fleet.

Sources