The Hawk T Mk 1 was developed by Hawker Siddeley, today part of BAE Systems, to equip the Royal Air Force training units in the second half of the 1970’s. The Royal Air Force specific requirement was to have a new updated jet trainer to replace the old Folland Gnat. The advanced-trainer Hawk was characterized by a great maneuverability and thanks to its Rolls-Royce Adour turbofan engine was able to reach the max speed of Mach 0.84. The Hawk T1A, developed on the original Hawk T1 project, intended to replace the Hawker Hunter in the Royal Air Force’s Tactical Weapons Units. In fact, the original aircraft has been modified with the adoption of a centerline Aden 30 mm. gun pod and with the possibility to carry AIM-9L Sidewinder air-to-air missiles. Thanks to its good performance and its running cost the Hawk has been used by several air forces all over the World. The modified Hawk T1A is still used by the Royal Air Force "Red Arrows" aerobatic team.
