Last Hawks: The last of nine Mk
167
Hawks (temporary UK serials ZB131 - 139) for the Qatari Emir Air Force
left Brough in component form for final assembly at Warton in December
2020 ending Brough’s long involvement in the Hawk. It is likely that a
joint QEAF/RAF training squadron will be formed at RAF Leeming.
Hawk Airframe Life Extended:
Engineers from BAES and the Australian Defence Department have
successfully completed a structural testing programme that has seen a
Hawk 127 airframe achieve the equivalent of 50,000 flying hours. This
is five times the current clearance and more than ten times the current
flying hours of RAAF aircraft. The RAF, Saudi Arabia, Oman and Qatar
operate similar standards of aircraft.
BAE Systems to Support USMC
AV-8B Harrier Fleet to 2029:
BAES and Vertex Aerospace have signed a nine-year agreement to increase
the availability of the USMC AV-8B Harrier II fleet. The U.S.
Department of the Navy has awarded Vertex Aerospace the $123 million
Contracted Maintenance, Modification, Aircrew, and Related Services
(CMMARS) order to provide aircraft maintenance and Contractor Logistics
Support (CLS) services. BAES is a subcontractor for the new logistics
support contract. BAES and Vertex will support the training and combat
operations from USN’s aircraft carriers, amphibious assault ships, and
forward operating bases.
Sea Harrier Cockpit
Restoration: In Lincolnshire, the cockpit from crashed Sea
Harrier ZD614 is being restored for trailer mounting by Richard
Scarborough