BAE Systems Hawk

The BAE Systems Hawk is a British single-engine subsonic jet advanced trainer that began life as the Hawker Siddeley Hawk. Hawker Siddeley Aviation started design studies in 1968 under Ralph Hooper as a simpler replacement for the Folland Gnat in RAF training, funded the work as a private venture, and the RAF selected the HS.1182 in October 1971, signing a contract for 175 aircraft in March 1972. The prototype first flew on 21 August 1974 and the Hawk T1 entered RAF service in late 1976, later flown by the Red Arrows display team. A combat-capable export version, the Hawk 50, followed in 1976, and the aircraft has since been built by British Aerospace and BAE Systems and, under licence, in India by Hindustan Aeronautics, with more than a thousand sold to 18 operators.