BAE Systems celebrated a decade of production and support of the RAAF’s Hawk 127 Lead-In Fighter, with the first Australian assembled aircraft, A27-10, rolling out of BAE’s hangar at Williamtown for its maiden test flight on May 12 2000.
“This is a proud day for our company and our employees,” said Gerry Mann, general manager fast jet support for the Aerospace Business Unit at Williamtown, which is where the aircraft were assembled and have been maintained since 2000. Fittingly, A27-10 returned to Williamtown to undergo a scheduled maintenance check on the anniversary.
The RAAF operates a fleet of 33 Hawk 127s, of which 21 were assembled locally, to undertake fast jet training, replacing the long serving Macchi jet trainer. Currently, there are 18 Hawks operational at RAAF Base Williamtown and 15 at RAAF Base Pearce.
