BAE Systems appears set to deliver its first pair of Hawk 165 trainers to the Royal Saudi Air Force, with the aircraft now having received service markings.
Pictured at the manufacturer’s Warton final assembly site in Lancashire on 23 March, the lead aircraft – carrying the temporary UK registration ZB101 and the tail number 201 – is the first of 44 new-generation Hawks on order for Riyadh. The Rolls-Royce Turbomeca Adour-engined trainer made its debut sortie from the site in September, and had since remained unpainted.
Neville Beckett
The nation’s second example was also flown in Saudi markings on the same day, with the livery similar to that used by the nation’s BAE-assembled Eurofighter Typhoons.
Production and final assembly work under an initial 22-unit order is at “an advanced stage” at Warton, BAE said last month. Deliveries are expected to start soon.
Riyadh late last year signed a repeat order to double the number of Hawk 165s on order. These will modernise its air force’s training capabilities, which involve the use of 45 examples in the legacy Mk 65/65A standards.
Saudi Arabia is the first export customer for BAE’s updated Hawk, which is already in operational service with the UK Royal Air Force as the T2. Oman has ordered eight examples, in a Mk 166 configuration.
Source: FlightGlobal.com
