BAE Systems' Hawk New Development Aircraft (HNDA) made its first flight from BAE's Warton, UK, facility earlier this month after final assembly and ground tests. The HNDA features the Rolls-Royce interim development standard Adour 951 engine, which is being developed for the South African Hawk Mk 120 programme. Aircraft handling and the engine were tested during the 1h 10 min flight. Fourteen flights to test the full authority digital engine control will follow. The HNDA will be transferred next year to South Africa and will be fitted with a full-up Adour 951 engine for the rest of the test programme. The HNDA will be the main development and demonstrator aircraft for future trainer variants.
Source: Flight International
