UK manufacturer believes consortium's door is open to outsiders as schedule slips
BAE Systems is targeting the faltering multinational Eurotraining initiative as it launches flight tests of its Hawk 128 advanced jet trainer (AJT) for the UK Royal Air Force. As the UK is not part of the Advanced European Jet Pilot Training – or Eurotraining – consortium, the Hawk has been excluded from consideration, but with the programme’s in-service date slipping to 2015, some of the partner nations are beginning to look outside for new trainers, says BAE’s Hawk campaign director Evan Evans. The company’s first of two AJT demonstrators conducted its first shakedown flight from Warton, Lancashire on 27 July, completing a 78min debut.
In addition to targeting Greece, the first of the countries to say it is looking outside Eurotraining, BAE is also working to persuade the consortium to open the competition to aircraft from non-participating nations. “There is only one contender from within the consortium, the Aermacchi M346,” says Evans. “They have to have competition, and we know the Hawk can meet the technical and operational requirements. We are looking to ensure we are in a position to be allowed to compete.” Greece could order 36 trainers within the next two years if it leaves the Eurotraining mechanism.
Any Eurotraining bid would be based on the Hawk 128, which features a new open-architecture avionics system that provides embedded simulation of air-to-air and air-to-ground targets, sensors and weapons. In June, BAE demonstrated a virtual training environment, flying a 2v2 two air-combat mission in which its Hawk demonstrator was connected by datalink network to three simulators on the ground providing a virtual wingman and enemy aircraft.
Embedded simulation and a datalink network will allow tactical lead-in training to be “downloaded” from the operational conversion unit to the Hawk, says chief test pilot Paul Hopkins, although he acknowledges that the Hawk does not have the high angle-of-attack “point-and-shoot” capability of the twin-engined, fly-by-wire M346.
GRAHAM WARWICK / WASHINGTON DC
Source: Flight International
