Contracts totalling £372 million ($530 million) have been awarded to BAE Systems and Rolls-Royce to continue supporting the UK Ministry of Defence’s Hawk trainer fleet for a five-year term.
The four contracts will largely be carried out at RAF Valley in Anglesey, Wales, covering spares, maintenance, modifications and engine support, taking the sustainment of the type to 2020, the MoD says.
Just under £300 million has been awarded to BAE to provide in-service support and post-design services for its Hawk T1 and T2 variants, including design advice, modifications and obsolescence management, from RAF Valley. This will include sub-contracting to Babcock for maintenance, with the activity carried out at the same location, RAF Leeming in North Yorkshire and RNAS Culdrose in Cornwall, as well as at civilian sites in Brough, Yorkshire, and Warton and Samlesbury in Lancashire.
“The five-year support contracts will play a crucial role in providing a range of services to the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force’s Hawk aircraft at bases around the country, including locations in Wales, Yorkshire, Lancashire, Lincolnshire, Somerset and Cornwall,” the MoD says.
R-R, meanwhile, was awarded £79 million to support the Hawk fleet's Adour engines, with testing, repairs and overhaul at Valley and Filton in Bristol.
Jamie Hunter/Qinetiq
The RAF has a fleet of 54 T1-variant Hawks and 28 advanced T2s, while the RN operates 13 T1s, Flightglobal’s Fleets Analyzer database shows. The oldest examples operated by the UK are 39 years old but the new contract ensures the fleet will operate into the 2020s.
“These new contracts to support our fleet of Hawk fast jets sets the support service bar higher than ever before,” Air Vice-Marshal Sue Gray, director of combat air at the MoD’s Defence Equipment & Support organisation, says.
“Our partners, BAE Systems and Rolls-Royce, will provide through-life support, including maintenance and the provision of spares, while delivering cost savings and providing a high level of aircraft availability, all of which will ensure our future fast jet pilots have the right equipment to conduct their flying training.”
Source: FlightGlobal.com
