Defense Secretary Peter Dutton said in connection with a contract with BAE Systems that a comprehensive modernization of the Hawk 127 fleet is expected, which is expected to remain in active service until 2032 and provide an efficient solution to the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, EA-18G. In training fighter pilots for the Growler and Lockheed Martin F-35A.
Australia reviewed the fate of the Hawk 127 fleet in the summer of 2020, when BAE Systems, Boeing and Leonardo were asked to quote on potential types of transport: BAE to modernize Hawk, Boeing for the new T-7A, Leonardo offered the M-346 to Canberra, and the Australians decided not to switch , but to continue modernizing the Hawk fleet, which has been proven for more than twenty years.
BAE Systems Australia welcomes the decision to continue working with the British: a key element of the modernization is the upgrade to the Rolls-Royce 951 Adour, which is expected to be completed by 2025. In addition to resources, the upgrade will also cover other aircraft systems, which will remain suitable for training, for example Example, the pilots on the fifth generation F-35A.
Prior to that, the 33-piece fleet (based at Williamtown and Pearce) was upgraded in 2019, making the RAF’s training aircraft virtually identical to the British Hawk T2 fleet. This, along with another ten-year contract, broadens the scope of cooperation between the two countries. Over the past 20 years, about 500 Australian fighter pilots have trained in Hawks, which remains one of the most common types of advanced training for combat aircraft worldwide.