The RAF has become the first air force in the world to get its hands on the all new Hawk Advanced Jet Trainer (AJT) - a revolutionary training aircraft which merges real flying with virtual aerial warfare.
Using state of the art embedded simulation technology, the Hawk AJT is capable of turning the skies into a hypothetical frontline warzone enabling pilots to develop the muscle memory needed to respond to threats long before entering a real combat zone.
A fleet of Hawk AJTs have been delivered to RAF Valley in Anglesey, Wales where instructors will get to grips with the new system and perfect their lesson plans before student pilots take to the skies early next year. As well as teaching pilots how to fly existing aircraft such as the Tornado and the Typhoon, it will also prepare them for new aircraft such as the F35, a plane so advanced that many of the pilots that will fly it have not yet been born.
BAE System's test pilot Andy Blythe comments: "Flying the Hawk AJT is an incredible experience - and unrecognisable from anything that has come before it. Whilst the classic shape of the Hawk remains unchanged, the inside has undergone a digital revolution in capabilities to mimic the look and feel of next generation fighter jets - at a fraction of the flying cost."
Lessons in the Hawk AJT are set by an instructor who sits behind the pilot while flying and programmes sophisticated virtual threats, such as surface-to-air missiles, to attack the aircraft. Pilots can also come under virtual attack from fellow student pilots playing the role of enemy aircraft.
After detecting the threats on the radar, the pilot must then avoid virtual oblivion by making defensive manoeuvres and launching its own virtual weapons such as countermeasures to thwart the attack or firing back to eliminate the enemy.
By using a Hawk AJT, the RAF are not only reducing the cost of training frontline fighter pilots, but also freeing up their frontline fighter jets for operational use.
