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Arrival of final production LIF Hawk aircraft in Australia

05 Oct 2001

The final two UK-assembled BAE Systems Lead-in Fighter (LIF) Hawk aircraft have arrived at Williamtown, New South Wales (NSW), after ferry flight from the UK, touching down on Friday, 5 October 2001.

The aircraft will undergo delivery preparation at the BAE Systems Australia Lead-in Fighter Support facility at Williamtown, before a customer acceptance flight and delivery to the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF).

The two aircraft are the last of 33 Hawk Mk 127 aircraft produced by BAE Systems for the RAAF to replace the Macchi as the fast jet trainer and Lead-In Fighter training platform.

Their arrival is the culmination of a successful program in which 21 aircraft were assembled in Australia at the BAE Systems Williamtown facility by HUNTER Aerospace, and 12 aircraft were assembled at BAE Systems' Warton facility in the UK then ferried to Williamtown.

The LIF Hawk Mk127 aircraft are operated by the RAAF's No 76 Squadron at Williamtown, NSW and No 79 Squadron at Pearce, Western Australia.

RAAF pilots undergo fast jet training and further lead-in fighter training before moving on to either the front line F/A-18 Hornet or F-111 aircraft.

"The final delivery of the Lead-in Fighter aircraft marks a major milestone on a program which has spanned the globe. It is a testament to the cooperation between the Defence Materiel Organisation and BAE Systems in both Australia and the UK," said Mark Parkinson, Project Director - Lead-in Fighter, BAE Systems Australia.

The Lead-in Fighter contract was signed in 1997 and design, development, manufacture and creation of the support infrastructure were established in just three years. The A$15 million Lead-in Fighter Support Facility was opened in April 1999, final assembly commenced in October 1999, and the Hawk Lead-in Fighter entered service with the RAAF in October 2000.

The first Tactical Weapons System Training System (TWSTS) was installed in March 2001 at RAAF Williamtown and was developed by BAE Systems in South Australia as part of a suite of training aids for the Hawk Lead-in Fighter.

Recognised as the benchmark supplier of Hawk training systems worldwide, BAE Systems Australia has developed a comprehensive suite of equipment to maximise ground-based training.

The Williamtown facility will now focus entirely on the in-service support of the Lead-in Fighter.