The new BAE Systems Hawk Advanced Jet Trainer will make its Middle East debut when it arrives in the UAE later this month as part of a six-week tour for the Hawk New Demonstrator Aircraft (HNDA). The tour is designed to introduce existing and potential Hawk customers in the Far East, Middle East and Europe to the latest advanced jet trainer and to allow them to experience the capabilities of the new aircraft at first hand.
The tour started at Asian Aerospace in Singapore where the Chief of the Air Force in Singapore accepted an invitation to select a number of his leading pilots to fly in the Hawk in Asian airspace.
After its Asia deployment, the Hawk team will return to the UK via the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Greece, both of which have a requirement for a number of advanced jet trainers. An invitation has been extended to each air force to provide pilots for further customer familiarisation flights in the new Hawk.
The proven reliability and low maintenance of Hawk means that the aircraft will be self-reliant throughout the tour, with only a limited propositioning of spares in the countries to be visited. A team of only 5 ground crew engineers will support the Hawk flying activities for the duration of the tour.
Commenting on the new Hawk advanced jet trainer's first visit to the Middle East, Mike Rudd Hawk sales director said: "The UAE has a known requirement for a number of advanced jet trainers. They operate the Hawk at the moment, and we are hoping to impress them with this latest version. The new aircraft is really exciting and it has got two big plus points. First of all there is the tradition of the world's most successful jet trainer, then there's the completely new avionics and training system. When you add other developments like the new Adour Mk951 engine, it makes a superb package."
Following its visit to the UAE and Greece the new Hawk advanced trainer will return to the UK.
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About BAE Systems
BAE Systems is the premier transatlantic defence and aerospace company delivering a full range of products and services for air, land and naval forces, as well as advanced electronics, information technology solutions and customer support services. With more than 100,000 employees worldwide, BAE Systems sales exceeded GBP 15.4 billion (US$28 billion) in 2005.
For further information please contact:
Jayne Thomson,
BAE SYSTEMS Middle East
Tel: +44 (0) 1252 384 841
Issued by:
MCS/Action:
Tel: +9714 390 2960;
fax: +9714 3908161.
Email: malcolm@actionprgroup.com
On behalf of:
BAE SYSTEMS,
Farnborough,
Hampshire GU14 6YU, UK.
Tel: +44 (0) 1252 384605
Fax: +44 (0) 1252 383947
www.baesystems.com
© Press Release 2006
