Flight International - 04

Defence Competition
Current type is being upgraded
to extend its operational life
Commonwealth of Australia
RAAF launches
search for Hawk successor
Australian requirement seeks 30-40 advanced jet trainers to
replace its BAE Systems-built fleet from early next decade
Greg Waldron Melbourne
The Royal Australian Air Force
(RAAF) has announced
plans to acquire a new fleet
of advanced jet trainers,
prompting leading manufacturers
to promote potential candidates
during the recent Av alon Airshow
near Melbourne.
A selection decision will be taken
in 2026, with a production contract
to be signed in 2027, according to
an RAAF official.
Canberra’s requirement will be
for 30-40 aircraft. In addition to
supporting pilot training, the selected
type will be required to
have a light combat capability,
along with an electro-optical/infrared
sensor and datalinks. These
capabilities are required because
the platform will also be called on
to perform the “red air” mission
during adversary training.
Boeing promoted its in-development
T-7A Red Hawk, which will
replace the venerable Northrop
T-38 in the advanced jet trainer
role for the US Air Force (USAF).
“The T-7 would fit right into the
pilot training and aircraft sustainment
our team currently provides
for the Australian Defence Force,”
says Scott Carpendale, vice-president
and managing director, Boeing
Defence Australia.
“Because the US and Australia
have a high degree of
interoperability due to flying similar
aircraft types, an Australian T-7
could lead to new joint training
scenarios between the two countries,”
he adds.
Boeing also highlighted the T-7’s
open systems architecture design,
which it says will facilitate upgrades
for “decades to come”.
Leonardo, meanwhile, will offer
its M-346-based training system.
Carmine Russo, head of sales,
engineering and IFTS (International
Flight Training School) marketing,
says the M-346 is ideally
suited to training pilots destined
for fifth-generation aircraft such as
the Lockheed Martin F-35 – a type
operated by the RAAF.
International pedigree
Seven nations currently operate
the M-346: Greece, Israel, Italy,
Poland, Qatar, Singapore and
Turkmenistan, while the type also
delivers multinational training at
the IFTS in Italy.
Lockheed is promoting the T-50,
via a marketing partnership with
Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI).
Although unsuccessfully offered
to the USAF for its T-38 replacement
need, the T-50 and its FA-50
light combat variant have enjoyed
considerable international success,
with KAI counting Indonesia,
Iraq, the Philippines, South Korea
and Thailand as current operators.
Malaysia and Poland also have
signed deals to acquire the type.
The RAAF currently operates
33 BAE Systems Hawk 127s in the
advanced jet training role, which
Cirium data shows to be up to 22
years in age.
In February 2022 Canberra announced
the service’s Hawks are
to receive software and hardware
updates, and be upgraded with
the Rolls-Royce Adour 951 engine.
Valued at A$1.5 billion ($990 million),
and also covering in-service
support, the contract will extend
the type’s operational life until 2031.
The RAAF’s Hawks are used to
prepare pilots to fly types including
the stealthy F-35A.
Speaking to FlightGlobal at the
show, Steve Over, Lockheed’s
director, international business
development for the type, said the
company is on track to complete
Australia’s current order for 72
F-35s before the end of 2023.
“As of today, they have 59
airplanes here in Australia,” says
Over, noting that a 60th example is
complete and “waiting on the ramp”
at Lockheed’s Fort Worth production
facility in Texas. “We’ll deliver
the remaining 12 aircraft before the
end of this year,” he adds.
The RAAF intends to declare full
operational capability for its F-35
fleet in December 2023, Over notes.
Australia has long hinted at a
potential need to increase its order
to 100 aircraft, and the topic may
be addressed in its forthcoming
Defence Strategic Review.
16 Flight International April 2023