Yes it is…as there is schools ard the world that don’t teach any mathematics, physics or even history…
Don’t take me wrong. Hawk is a fantastic aircraft for its time and there is no any aviation enthousiast that won’t like its perfect shapes. But it is an old platform that wld be even older in 30 years and has only a single engine. And tht is only the basis of any sound raisoning.
Well I don’t know what point you are making with the first line so lets park that one shall we.
As for suggesting that because the Hawk was launched over thirty years ago and has a single engine it is a sound reasoned explanation of your opinion that it is no longer a valid LIFT type does not stand up to scrutiny.
A Hawk built now bares little resemblance to a Hawk built thirty years ago (and it should be noted old Hawks are still used as an effective LIFT type – have a talk to the Indian students who transitioned from RAF Hawk T1 to the Su-30MKI or the Finnish airforce with their modernised examples), as already pointed out do we dismiss the capabilities of the C130J based on the fact that it shares a lineage back to an aircraft designed in the early 1950’s? Of course not that is just plain silly. So the Hawk has a single engine, so what? so does the T-50. Are you saying the T-50 is not suitable for the lift role due to it only having a single engine? Of course not that would be absurd! Two engines means twice the maintenance, if a single engine is enough for the aircraft to for fill its primary role then it is a perfectly reasonable solution. The key thing about a LIFT type is does the performance give enough workload to transition pilots to larger and faster types? Whilst Hawk is not Supersonic it is no slouch, it can even go Supersonic in a dive not that is particularly needed (if at all) in a LIFT Syllabus. With its modern cockpit simulating the environment of a modern fighter the performance is high enough to give an appropriate level of challenge to a student. Barrelling down the Mach Loop in a Hawk is certainly going to give a student the sweats and give a good enough introduction to the skills required for a student to move onto a type like Typhoon. Being able to go Supersonic or giving greater manoeuvrability to a type which is already highly manoeuvrable with a modern avionics package adds nothing to the training and actually increases the risk of early wash out. Training pilots is expensive and washing them out when have reached the LIFT part of the syllabus is not cost effective. Training on the Hawk is built around graduated increases in difficulty and nurturing of pilots, slinging them in a higher performing fighter trainer is not always the best idea. Have a look at the image and video below then consider the pressures on the student, they have a cockpit with displays that match the type they will transfer to and a performance high enough to stretch them:
Now look at this video of Typhoon going through the Mach Loop, a far higher performing type but it shares a similar cockpit environment to Hawk. The Hawk allows a graduated step up to that type:
The Hawk is still selling well and BAE Systems don’t plan to stop producing it for the foreseeable future. Now BAE Systems could decide to build a lets say Hawk T3 with a highly composite airframe and a down rated EJ200 to push it through the sky (many have argued that idea myself included) but would it offer a significant advantage for BAE Systems to do it. Well considering it is still selling well clearly not. Also a conventional aluminium airframe with some composites and a small FADEC equipped Turbofan like the Adour have their advantages! It is significantly cheaper to maintain! Excluding the Hawk-200 series it is a trainer not a fighter! It has to do long hours with often heavy handed students. The reason why jets like the T-50 or the M346 are more like a fighter is both manufacturers have an eye on the light fighter market something BAE Systems has pretty much given up on.
I remember what one of my Uni lecturers told me many years ago, “It is not always about the newest and fastest, often the best is the thing which meets the minimum requirements and is good enough!” Now that was a long reply with no malice intended as I have a hunch that you are young and eager to learn, consider it for a while.
Aft Island arrives Rosyth:
http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/final-piece-iconic-hms-queen-1975071
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