The Royal Air Forces’ aerobatic team The Red Arrows have praised the excellent serviceability record of their BAE SYSTEMS’ Hawk aircraft following a challenging 5-week goodwill tour of the Middle and Far East, which included scintillating displays in Oman, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Egypt.
The Red Arrows
Led by Squadron Leader Spike Jepson, The Red Arrows demonstrated British excellence to millions of people in 14 different countries during September and October. The 11 aircraft flew a total of 556 sorties, spending 558 hours and 35 minutes in the air.
‘I have been extremely impressed by the resilience of the aircraft’ said Engineering Officer Flight Lieutenant Tim Beagle. ‘It is a particularly remarkable achievement considering the extreme weather conditions we encountered throughout the 5-week tour. This ranged from constant torrential monsoon rains for 5 days in Malaysia, to baking heat throughout the Middle East. I have found the Hawk an extremely reliable aircraft throughout my three years with The Red Arrows. The aircraft’s unblemished serviceability record over the last few weeks has further confirmed this for me.’
The Red Arrows do not receive preferential treatment from the Royal Air Force Supply Management System. The remarkable availability of the BAE Systems Hawk aircraft is due to three factors. Firstly, the excellence of the aircraft; secondly the meticulous planning of support requirements of the Red Arrows, including the spare parts carried in the team’s C-130 support aircraft; and thirdly, the tremendous professionalism of the Red Arrows ground support team – The Blues.
During the 5-week tour the only significant engineering rectification needed was a throttle-top replacement on one aircraft which required 17 man hours of engineering work. This was carried out by The Red Arrows’ ground support team whilst the Team displayed near Delhi in India.
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December 11, 2003 at 11:11 am